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New History Colorado exhibit explores 161 years of Denver's evolving identity and urban landscape

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by Alexis Kikoen • Published on • Last modified on
History Colorado Building Denver Sakura Square
The history and impacts of Denver's ever-changing skyline is detailed in History Colorado's new exhibit
Rocky Mountain PBS

DENVER — Is this the city we had in mind?

"Building Denver: Visions of the Capital City" is the newest exhibit to be installed at History Colorado, and that's the question it tries to answer. The expansive exhibition explores the growth, urban development, and architecture of Denver from 1860 to the present.

From urban planning to gentrification and climate change, "Building Denver" examines the way both human and natural forces can change the identity of a city. The exhibit opens Saturday, May 29, and is on display until August 31, 2022.

"Building Denver" highlights how different groups have worked to bring their own visions of Denver to life. 

Among iconic Denver institutions such as the Denver International Airport and 16th Street Mall, you’ll also find other contributions to Denver’s history, such as the Japanese-American hub, Sakura Square.

“History Colorado reached out to us and we are very willing to help do whatever we can to tell the story of Sakura Square,” says Stacey Shigaya, program director for Sakura Square, LLC.

The group contributed photographs that document the construction of Sakura Square over time. They also included a reproduction of a program from the first ever Cherry Blossom Festival in 1973, which celebrated the grand opening of the square.

"Having these original photos in this exhibit just reminds us of all the hard work of people who cam before us, and how much we need to keep up that work to maintain our community going forward," Shigaya says.

Colorado Voices
Sakura Square included in History Colorado Exhibit

The history of Sakura Square began in the early 1900s when Japanese immigrants began arriving in Denver. At the time, “it was basically seven to nine blocks of Japanese community,” says Shigaya.

The square we know today, which sits between 19th & 20th and Larimer & Lawrence streets, was designed by Bertram A. Burton, Colorado’s second licensed Black architect, and completed in 1973. It includes a high-rise apartment complex, the Denver/Tri-State Buddhist Temple, Pacific Mercantile Company, and a number of other shops.

The square, as we know it today, was completed in 1973.

“Basically Sakura Square has become a community hub, not just for the Japanese community, but for the Asian community,” Shigaya explains.

Building Denver opened to the public on Saturday, May 29th and is included in the price of admission to the History Colorado Center.

“The fact that Sakura Square is included in this exhibit is probably more meaningful than we can ever say,” says Shigaya. “Part of this exhibit is just walking through and being able to see what the past has been for Denver, and I think that is going to help people understand our city a little bit more and hopefully bring a lot of pride to the city and to Sakura Square.”

Alexis Kikoen is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at alexiskikoen@rmpbs.org.

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