Barnum West

Barnum West is the western half of old Barnum, in West Denver. It runs from Perry Street west to Sheridan Boulevard, with the 6th Avenue freeway on the north and Alameda Avenue on the south. Barnum proper is across Perry, Villa Park is on the other side of the freeway, and once you cross Sheridan you're in Lakewood.

One town, two neighborhoods on the city map

The city draws its line between the two at Perry, but both halves began as one place. Daniel Witter started assembling land here in 1865 for Villa Park, a planned suburb with curving streets, and it ended in lawsuits and bankruptcy. P.T. Barnum bought 760 acres in 1878, and the full story of the showman and his family lives on the Barnum page. The Town of Barnum incorporated in 1887 and Denver annexed it in 1896.

The bigger push came later. The Denver Ordnance Plant opened in 1940 to make munitions for the war, and its workers found homes in Barnum and the other Westside neighborhoods within an easy commute.

Mostly 1950s houses

The housing here is mostly from the 1950s, when the post-war boom reached Barnum. A house that age has had seventy years to pick up updates, some done well and some not, so ask the sellers what's been replaced and when, and get the permit history before you get attached.

Denver adopted the West Area Plan on March 28, 2023, covering Barnum West, Barnum, Villa Park, West Colfax, Sun Valley and Valverde, and approved the rezoning that carries it out on July 8, 2024. The plan points denser building and ground-floor shops toward main corridors and high-capacity transit. The nearest example is just east in Barnum, where 1st Avenue between Meade and Knox was set up as a three-story main street district. If you're looking at a house near Sheridan or Alameda, check the zoning on the surrounding blocks, since those corridors are where the plan expects change.

Weir Gulch and its park

Weir Gulch runs through the neighborhood, and Weir Gulch Park follows it on the stretch north of Alameda, with the Weir Gulch Trail running alongside. The city spent $3.6 million updating the park in 2014. If a paved path out your back door matters to you, start your search on the blocks closest to the gulch.

A diner on Sheridan

Lookin' Good Restaurant & Lounge, at 66 Sheridan, has been open since 1978, one of the old-school Denver diners still going, and serves American, Mexican and Greek food with breakfast all day. The dishes people come for are the flaming saganaki, set alight with brandy at the table, and the Toro Pot, beef and potatoes wrapped in a tortilla and smothered in green chile. The lounge side has closed for good, and the restaurant runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Getting around

The 6th Avenue freeway along the north edge is the quick route downtown, and Sheridan and Alameda carry most of the north-south and east-west traffic. RTD's W Line runs along the freeway corridor. Perry station, at 1199 North Perry Street, opened on April 26, 2013, and is a walk-up stop with bike racks and lockers but no parking or bus connections. Sheridan station, one stop west at 1198 Sheridan, has an 800-space garage on the west side of the boulevard and RTD's 51 bus. If you plan to ride the train, the blocks near the north edge are the ones closest to either station.