1
Trolley conductors once called out, “Five Points!” as they neared the confluence of Washington Street, 27th Street, 26th Avenue and Welton Street. The name stuck and became synonymous with jazz.
2
During the 1920s to 1940s, Five Points’ vibrant jazz scene earned it the sobriquet, “Harlem of the West.” Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington and many other major artists played the nightclubs and cabarets lining Welton Street.
3
While Five Points is known as a historically African American neighborhood, it was actually quite diverse. Many Japanese-and-Mexican Americans also called the neighborhood home.
4
Built in 2003, Five Points’ handsome Blair-Caldwell branch of the Denver Public Library is one of only four African American research libraries in the entire country. This little-known Denver landmark at 2401 Welton St. features distinctive bas reliefs on the exterior. Inside, murals and exhibits vividly depict Black history in Colorado.
5
Don’t call it RiNo! Longtime residents of Five Points take pride in the neighborhood’s rich history and do not want it subsumed by the neighboring River North art district.
