There’s still room available in some of the Denver tours, and we hope
you’ll consider signing up for one (or two) if you haven’t already.
On Thursday, May 1, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 or Friday, May 2nd
from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30, you can tour Denver’s Parks and Neighborhoods, including the
Denver Botanic Gardens. Toward the
end of the 19th century, Frederick Law Olmstead made the case that
verdant residential communities were appropriate and sustainable in the semiarid
West. He illustrated how such
a community could be developed in Colorado, taking advantage of mountain views,
using water judiciously, respecting the prairie, and protecting the fragile
land. Frederick Law Olmstead
Jr. was subsequently instrumental, along with other landscape designers and
Mayor Robert W. Speer, in developing the city’s park and parkway system. This tour will give you a good sense of
Denver’s
neighborhoods at a beautiful time of year, with spring flowers, fruit trees and
lilacs in bloom. The tour’s
first stop is City Park on the east side, home to the Denver Zoo and the Museum
of Nature and Science, and the final stop will be on the west side at
Inspiration Point park. At the
highest point of the city, you’ll have an uncluttered view of the Rocky Mountains.
Your tour guide will be Carolyn Etter, former manager of the city’s Parks
and Recreation Department, who is a parks historian and advocate.
Also on Thursday from 1:00 to 5:00, or on Friday from 12:30 to 4:30, you
can tour Denver’s Mountain Parks. In 1914, Frederick Law Olmstead Jr.
prepared a “Mountain Park Preliminary Plan,” and city authorities started
purchasing property and constructing roads based on his initial
recommendations. While park
planning in the city called for preservation of mountain views by restricting
the height of buildings, in the mountains, views were protected by purchasing
canyon walls, open meadows and distant peaks. This tour will take you to world famous
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Lookout Mountain, and the scenic foothill towns of
Evergreen and Golden.
If you have already registered for the conference and would like to sign
up for a tour, please contact Susan Rawlyk at [log in to unmask].
Tom
Riedel
Local
Arrangements Co-chair