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Uptown
Queen Anne houses in the Swallow Hill blocks, plus brick rowhouses and apartment buildings, just north of Colfax. 17th Avenue is the restaurant strip, and the Ogden, the Fillmore and the cathedral sit along the south edge.
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Winter sun
Which driveways stay iced in December and which back yards keep the afternoon. Worth knowing before you fall for a house.
See how the winter sun falls on Uptown (opens in new tab)
Living in Uptown
Uptown is the name most people use for the city's North Capitol Hill neighborhood. It runs from Broadway east to Downing Street and from Colfax Avenue north to 20th Avenue, with Park Avenue clipping the northeast corner. Capitol Hill is across Colfax to the south, Five Points is to the north, and downtown is minutes away.
Swallow Hill and its Queen Anne houses
The oldest protected blocks sit in the southeast corner. The Swallow Hill Historic District runs roughly from Clarkson Street to Downing, between Colfax and 17th Avenue. It's on the National Register for its Queen Anne houses, designed by some of Denver's best-known architects around the turn of the century: Lang and Pugh, Varian and Sterner, Balcom and Rice and Frank Edbrooke among them. Edbrooke's own house is still standing at 931 E. 17th Avenue, a Denver landmark since 1978, and the Aldine at 1001 to 1021 E. 17th was designated in 1996.
Denver made Swallow Hill a local historic district in 1999. That matters if you buy there. Any exterior project that needs a permit, from new windows and roofing to solar, a garage or an addition, goes through the city's Landmark Preservation design review before work starts, so talk to the city before you sign with a contractor.
Rowhouses, apartments and the rest of the grid
Outside Swallow Hill the streets mix brick rowhouses with apartment buildings, old and new. Building in this part of town shifted toward apartments after the silver crash of 1893, and stretches of East Colfax are being redeveloped to be denser today. The Haynes Townhouses at 1732 and 1738 Pearl Street, built in 1893, are a landmark, as is the 1896 Guerrieri-DeCunto House at 1650 Pennsylvania Street. If a detached Victorian is the goal, start in Swallow Hill and plan for the review that comes with it. Anywhere else, expect to be choosing among rowhouses and units in apartment-style buildings.
A cathedral and two concert halls on Colfax
The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception stands at Colfax and Logan Street. It's French Gothic, built of Indiana limestone and Gunnison granite, with two 221-foot spires, and it was finished in 1911.
A few blocks east, the Fillmore Auditorium at 1510 Clarkson Street holds 3,900 and has been a music hall since it reopened in 1999. The Ogden Theatre at 935 E. Colfax opened as a movie house in 1917, has hosted concerts since 1993 and is a Denver landmark. If you're looking at a place within a block or two of either hall, go see the street on a show night before you make an offer.
17th Avenue, the restaurant row
Uptown holds the west end of the 17th Avenue dining strip, which starts at Broadway, and nearly every spot on it has a patio. Steuben's, at 523 E. 17th, serves American regional classics and won Westword's best green chile cheeseburger in 2023. On the same block at 501 E. 17th, Ace Eat Serve does modern Asian food, with a patio and ping-pong tables in back. City Park, home to the zoo and the Museum of Nature and Science, is a few blocks east.
Getting around
Broadway runs up the western edge. Starting September 27, 2026, the two center lanes of Colfax between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard are bus-only. RTD's 15 and 15L board from center platforms, and the full Lynx bus rapid transit line is under construction through 2027. Drivers can turn left off Colfax only at signals with a green arrow, so if you live north of Colfax, learn which cross streets have one.
FAQ
Is Uptown the same as North Capitol Hill?
Yes. North Capitol Hill is the city's name for the neighborhood, and most people call it Uptown. It runs from Broadway to Downing Street, between Colfax and 20th Avenue.
What kind of homes are in Uptown?
Brick rowhouses, apartment buildings old and new, and Queen Anne houses in the Swallow Hill blocks. Swallow Hill is the place to look for a detached Victorian.
Is any of Uptown a historic district?
Yes. Swallow Hill, roughly Clarkson to Downing between Colfax and 17th, became a Denver historic district in 1999. Exterior work that needs a permit there goes through Landmark Preservation design review.
Which concert venues are in Uptown?
The Fillmore Auditorium at 1510 Clarkson Street and the Ogden Theatre at 935 E. Colfax, both on the south edge.
Where do people eat in Uptown?
Mostly along 17th Avenue. Steuben's and Ace Eat Serve are on the same block there.
Are there bus-only lanes on Colfax?
The center lanes are bus-only between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard, and the 15 and 15L board from center platforms. Left turns are allowed only at signals with a green arrow.