A Globeville Historic District?

There is no other place like Globeville. Like layers in an archeological site, the prospectors, homesteaders, immigrants, industries, ethnic groups, taverns, lodges, churches and schools, left evidence of their presence. A treasure with generations of stories.

Diversity and cooperation have defined Globeville and its residents are fiercely protective of their neighborhood. They've had to be.

The division of the neighborhood by Interstates 25 and 70 inflicted serious wounds, yet Globeville survived. A move by the City Planning Board of Denver to turn Globeville into an industrial region (1966 - 1977) was battled by residents and the Globeville Civic Association. Again Globeville prevailed. Checkerboard zoning and absentee landlords have allowed industry encroachment and blight in the community. There is the constant struggle with odors and highway exhaust. A more insidious and recent threat comes from gentrification. 

Could a historic district improve Globeville's future? Learn more about it:
Monday, January 9th, 5 to 7 pm
at Birdseed Collective, 4496 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80216

Birdseed Collective
4496 Grant Street

Politics in Globeville

There was a time before a 24-hour news cycle, big money donors, PAC money and non-stop television ads. Democrats appealed to Globeville’s blue collar voters with slogans like "Be Boss, Vote Democratic" and a prominent display of the Union Label on all printed material. Republicans touted fiscal responsibility and state control over water and land policies. Competition was cordial and after elections were over, rivals worked together to get things accomplished. Until the 1980s, Denver was a mid-sized town and politicians kept in touch with voters in District 9 by being present in the neighborhood. It was not unusual for city officials to attend a parish festival or lodge celebration in the neighborhood.  

In 1963, Mayor Tom Currigan, Councilman Bob Keating (District 1) and Councilman Joe Ciancio, Jr. (District 9) were guests of honor at the 55th Anniversary Convention of the Western Slavonic Association.
The politicians who attended the Globeville Civic Association’s Christmas potluck dinner in 1976 included Democratic Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, State Senator Dennis Gallagher, and Denver’s Manager of Parks and Recreation, Joe Ciancio.
Perhaps the money spent on today’s television ads could be used for better things and those running for office could devote more time to meeting with their constituents in the community.

 

Left to Right, John Yelenick, Republican Governor Ralph Carr,
Mrs. Koprivic and Democratic State Representative Don Oliver
enjoy a meal at the Peacock Inn

 

Ad in the 1968 Western Slavonic convention booklet
 

 

 

Lalo and Eumelia C. de Baca, Community Leaders

“Cabeza de Vaca, head of the cow,” Lalo C. de Baca explained. “That’s the full name. There was a Spanish explorer named Alvar Cabeza de Vaca who spent about six years living with the Indians in New Mexico in the 1500s and we’re related to him. Of course, our name has shrunk from Cabeza de Vaca to Cabeza de Baca, C. de Baca and Baca. My dad’s uncle, Ezequiel C. de Baca, was governor of New Mexico in 1917. So we’ve been here awhile.
Born in 1919 on a small farm near Las Vegas, New Mexico, Lalo grew up in a family that included three girls and three boys. "We raised corn, beans and cows and it was real hard work...we were really poor but everyone else was too."
Like his Spanish ancestors, Lalo left his home in search of opportunity, arriving in Denver in 1936, and working a variety of temporary and seasonal jobs before joining the National Guard. His unit was mobilized in 1940, and he served in Fort Sill, Oklahoma during World War II.
1942 was a year of milestones, with Lalo being discharged from the Army, beginning a job at Swift & Company and marrying his childhood sweetheart, Eumelia Medina. Lalo and Eumelia would have seven daughters and one son, and instill in them a love for their Spanish heritage and culture.
Lalo moved his family moved to Globeville in 1960, "I bought the house on Sherman Street from Caspar Yeada because I could walk to work. I could walk everywhere I needed to go."
Lalo and Eumelia got involved in their new neighborhood right away. "I thought we ought to have light here on the street so I went to Public Service and got them to put it in." And Eumelia created a neighborhood watch, going from house to house to promote the program and wearing a whistle in case she was bothered by gang members. Lalo remembered, "There were some tough kids in the neighborhood at that time." Lalo and Eumelia became active in the Globeville Civic Association, battling the city's efforts to turn Globeville into an industrial area, and fighting the placement of halfway houses in nearby Denargo Market. There would be bigger battles ahead.
In 1997, Lalo, Eumelia and 390 of their neighbors filed a lawsuit against the the American Smelting and Refining Company, ASARCO, for contamination of the south side of Globeville. The company settled before the case even went to trial, agreeing to pay $12 million dollars to homeowners, renters and attorneys, and clean up the area south of I-70. 
A lot has happened in Globeville since the settlement. The south side of Globeville was eventually remediated, neighbors were compensated and the ASARCO site has been cleaned and redeveloped into warehouse space.
Eumelia passed away in 2003 and Lalo in 2014, but they are remembered in Globeville. C. de Bacas are held up as examples of persistence, caring for their community and the power of individuals to battle the city and a multinational corporation. They leave eight children, seventeen grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren, four great great grandchildren, and a community that is grateful for their service.
 
* Between 1528 and 1536 Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca traveled between Florida, Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. An exciting account can be found by Tony Horwitz, “A Voyage Long and Strange. Rediscovering the New World” 2008 Henry Holt and Company LLC.

newmexicohistory.org/people/ezequiel-cabeza-de-baca

 Eumelia and Lalo C. de Baca‎

Joe and Leah Tekavec

Joe and Leah Tekavec's roots in Globeville ran deep. Joe Tekavec was born in 1906 to parents who emigrated from Slovenia, then part of Austria-Hungary. The family lived on Elgin Place in a Slovenian enclave on Globeville’s north side, attending Holy Rosary Church and events at the Western Slavonic Association [WSA]. 
Leah Jacoby was born in 1913 in the house her grandfather built on Lincoln Street on the south end of Globeville. The Jacobys were Volga Germans from Norka, Russia and attended the First German Congregational Church. The culture of those times dictated that Joe and Leah would spend most of their time with people from the same ethnic background, but somehow they met, fell in love and were married. Daughter Janet Tekavec Wagner mused, ”People didn’t attend each other’s church services in those days, so I guess I’ll never know how they met.”
The Tekavecs enjoyed a conventional lifestyle with Joe working as an auto mechanic and Leah as a homemaker, and straddled the ethnic cultural divide by attending religious services at the First German Congregational Church and participating in the social activities of the WSA. Joe served as the supervisor of the WSA’s young people's group for many years where son Jim and daughter Janet were enrolled.
When Interstates 25 and 70 carved up the neighborhood they loved, Joe and Leah decided to stay rather than move and joined the Globeville Civic Association to fight for the survival of their community. Leah became treasurer of the organization in 1961, a post she would hold for 17 years, and Joe served as president from 1970 to 1978, a time when Globeville was under attack by the city. 
Tekavecs arranged countless meetings in churches, lodges, and associations to organize neighbors in opposition to Denver's plan to turn Globeville into an industrial area. Tekavecs and the Civic Association then fought to get the neighborhood its fair share of city services, helped neighbors obtain funds to improve their homes and successfully fought the construction of rendering plants that would produce sickening smells in the area. The Tekavecs became familiar to city officials at public meetings. “They know me when they see me,” Joe said.* 
The Civic Association was also active in improving the quality of life for Globeville's seniors, creating a health clinic, community luncheons and activities in the former First German Congregational Church. Daughter Janet continued, “The Civic Association also sponsored kids’ softball teams and held lots of pancake breakfasts to pay for the uniforms.”
When Joe and Leah stepped down in 1978, the city had dropped its plans to industrialize the area, and the neighborhood had begun to recover and improve. Tekavecs would live to see the neighborhood they loved celebrate its centennial in 1988. Joe passed away in 1989 and Leah in 1991.

*Globeville Community Spirit Renewed to Combat Blight, Denver Post, July 29, 1978, pg 21

Leah and Joe Tekavec

House on Lincoln Street built by Leah's Grandfather

Joe, far left, with WSA's young people's group

Orthodox Food Festival & Old Globeville Days

Strains of accordion music waft across Argo park, accompanied by the aroma of roast lamb, Romanian cabbage rolls, Mexican tamales, German sausage and Serbian Povitica. Tamburitzans perform while patrons enjoy ethnic food favorites, European beer and the potent plum brandy, Slivovitz. Each July since 2003, Globeville invites all of Denver to join in the celebration of its ethnic diversity, a characteristic that continues to define the neighborhood.
The festival takes place Saturday July 14th (11:00 am - 9:30 pm) and Sunday, July 15th (11:00 am - 5:00 pm) at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Cathedral and Argo Park, 349 E. 47th Avenue at Logan Street in the Globeville neighborhood. Admission is free. Sample foods from Russia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Greece, Mexico and Italy. Relax under the tents to experience ethnic music and dance, enjoy the children's activities, visit the craft and gift booths, iconography exhibit and tour the historic Orthodox Cathedral with its stunning icons and images. Dance to the music of Willie & the Po' Boys, Saturday 7:00 - 9:30 pm.
The event is co-sponsored by Holy Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathedral and Globeville Civic Association. Call 303-294-0938 for more information.

http://orthodoxfoodfestival.wetpaint.com