A Little History Expedition
BY CAROLYN DIANA
In the middle of the sidewalk on the east side of the 700 block of S Broadway is a street clock. The clock is a bit of a mystery; it was made by E. Howard & Co, Boston, Mass. who were famous clockmakers around the turn of the last century (for example, the clock in the tower of the Wrigley building in Chicago is one of theirs), but no one seems to know who put this clock here.
Why am I trying to find this out? Because this clock is 1 of the 2 historic sites in West Wash Park have been chosen as part of Historic Denver’s 50 Actions For 50 Places Campaign. The campaign asked Denverites to nominate historic places across the city that they felt should be preserved for the future, and the nominations poured in.
This beautiful old clock is in disrepair, and it would be lovely to see it restored. Especially with the planned future of S Broadway as a walkable community hub, this clock could be an icon for the area.
The other spot that made the cut here in WWP is Firehouse 13 at 600 S Broadway. Built in the 1890s it is an example of beautiful architecture for civic use. The city sold the building decades ago, and the current owner is the one who nominated this gem to the 50 Places Campaign.
It will be interesting to watch what happens next for these 2 historic local spots. And in the meantime, take a little local history expedition yourself to see them.
To find out more about E. Howard & Co. clocks you can read about them here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Howard_%26_Co.
To see a couple historic photos of Firehouse 13 go to this site and scroll down:
To find out more about the 50 Actions For 50 Places Campaign and all the sites that were chosen check out these links:
https://www.westword.com/news/denver-historic-preservation-50-actions-for-50-places-12048186
https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/musicnews/historic-denver-reveals-50-actions-fo-50-places/vi-AAMUnAR
https://historicdenver.org/50actions-50places/