Jefferson Park

Jefferson Park sits on the bluff just across I-25 from downtown, in northwest Denver. Speer Boulevard is the north edge, with the Highlands on the other side. Federal Boulevard is the west edge, and the South Platte River and I-25 run along the east. At the south end it reaches down toward Colfax and takes in the stadium grounds around Empower Field at Mile High.

A corner of the old Town of Highlands

This was part of the Town of Highlands, founded west of the Platte in 1871 and incorporated in 1875, often called Denver's first suburb. One of the city's earliest streetcar lines ran along Emerald Avenue starting in 1872, and that street is now West 25th. Highlands built its city hall at the southwest corner of 26th and Federal in 1890, and Denver Fire Station 12 stands there now. Denver annexed Highlands in 1896, and this part of it later took its name from the park.

Lots and houses

Building was generally allowed on 25-foot lots here, so the blocks are narrow and tightly packed. Federal Boulevard was lined with residences in the late 1800s, and homes at the southern edge were torn down to make room for parking for the old Mile High Stadium. Teardowns haven't stopped: a large older house at 27th and Clay came down in 2017. If you're buying an older house, look hard at the lots on either side and think about what could be built there.

Denver's Near Northwest Area Plan was adopted unanimously by City Council on January 22, 2024, and covers Jefferson Park along with the Highlands, Sunnyside and Chaffee Park. Read it before you buy a lot with plans for it.

The park at 23rd and Clay

The park is about 6.7 acres at West 23rd Avenue and Clay Street, on land that used to be a city dump. It was landscaped in the early 1900s and named for Thomas Jefferson. In 2000, a large development proposal that would have turned the park into an amphitheater led neighbors to organize, and the plan was defeated.

West 25th Avenue and Eliot Street

From the late 1890s into the 1920s, a commercial strip grew up along the streetcar line on 25th between Eliot and Federal, movie theater included. A corner grocery from that era still stands at the southeast corner of 26th and Decatur. Jefferson Park Pub, just off 25th at 2445 Eliot, has been open since March 2014, with exposed brick, a fireplace and garage-door windows, and on some game days it opens as early as 9 a.m. for watch parties. 2914 Coffee has been on West 25th since 2012 and started roasting its own beans in late 2024.

The stadium, the highway and getting downtown

Empower Field at Mile High fills the south end. Mile High Stadium Circle, near the stadium, used to be West 20th Avenue. If you're looking near the south end, walk those blocks on a game day before you make an offer. Light rail stops at Empower Field at Mile High station.

Federal and Speer are the big roads on the edges. CDOT plans to replace both the 23rd Avenue and Speer bridges over I-25. They're near the end of their useful life and get hit by trucks because they sit too low. Construction is scheduled for 2029, so plan on detours once it starts.