Word has it that the area between 9th and 10th Street on Harrison Avenue may be considered for Historic Colorado grant funds. These funds would be used to help design a park like setting in which visitors could enjoy the spectacular views of Downtown Harrison from benches and walkways that connect the three historical buildings surrounding it. Imagine a steppe system of treed landscaping, sitting areas, benches, picnic tables and walkways that would allow for events and connect weddings at the Healy house with receptions at the mining museum.
The History Colorado State Historical Fund is a program established by the 1990 constitutional amendment that legalized gambling in Central City, Blackhawk and Cripple Creek. The amendment mandates that a portion of gaming tax revenue goes to the History Colorado State Historic Fund to fund historic preservation projects throughout the state.
One controversial project that benefitted from these funds is Skyline Park in downtown Denver. Built in 1973, “neglect, lack of maintenance….., bad lighting and overgrown vegetation” caused the park to become a blight in an otherwise modern cityscape. (Denver Post, October 4th, 2012) The new design took into account the heritage of Colorado. Colors reflected nearby Red Rocks amphitheatre with walkways of red brick patterned after Native American Beadwork. Nowadays, the park has become a mecca for events, hosting 35 to 50 events per year and includes a popular ice skating rink.
City Council member Greg Labbe and County Commissioner Bruce Hix met with representatives of History Colorado last week to discuss the application.