Mt Olivet Cemetery

The weather has been pretty wild here in the Denver area lately. We had beautiful, spring-like weather one weekend, then the next weekend it was a blizzard producing two feet of snow! This weekend might be a mix. It's that time of year, I guess.

Well, on one of the warmer weekends, I managed to get out of the house and do some exploring. I literally wandered aimlessly and ended up at Mt Olivet Cemetery in Wheat Ridge. Cemeteries are one of my favorite photography subjects, so this was a great place to spend a bit of time.

Mt Olivet is a Catholic cemetery and was dedicated on September 25, 1892. It is the final resting place of over 150,000 individuals. At the time it was opened, Mt Olivet was in a pretty isolated location; separated from the city of Denver by quite a distance. Now, the growth of the area has filled in that space. The cemetery now sits just a block north of busy Interstate 70.

Even though it is no longer in the middle of nowhere, Mt Olivet is still a beautiful and peaceful place. It features many unique monuments, including several dedicated to some notable individuals. Though I did not have time to explore them all, one that is notable and easy to find is that of Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert. He's the one that was played by Kevin Bacon in the movie, in case you, like me, have a brain that is filled with movie knowledge. Swigert was also elected to represent Colorado's 6th District in 1982, however, he passed away before being able to take office. A statue of Swigert in his astronaut's uniform resides at Denver International Airport.

One of the more notable features of Mt Olivet is the numerous mausoleums spread across the grounds. Some of them are strikingly unique examples of modern architecture.

Mt Olivet is a truly lovely cemetery. I took well over a hundred photos during my visit, and am having trouble deciding which ones to share. I may just need to do another photo dump post in the future. I will certainly need to pay another visit when the grass is green and the leaves are back on the trees. 

Museum of Outdoor Arts - Down Englewood Parkway

A few posts back we took a look at some of the pieces that adorn the courtyard at Englewood City Center as a part of the Museum of Outdoor Arts. Well, there's actually much more to see if you head east down Englewood Parkway from the courtyard. Let's take a look.

Marzocco Lions

Three Gossips by Harry Marinsky

Stargazer by Madeline Wiener

Marble on my Mind by Madelin Wiener

Porcellino
Note: A duplicate of this statue can be found in front of one of the office buildings at the museum's display in Greenwood Village.

Twin Dragon Mural

Many businesses around the Denver area have made their exterior walls available to artists for murals. A lot of these murals are left up to the imagination of the artists, but occasionally they do relate to the business that serves as the canvas. Such is the case with this piece on South Broadway (SoBo).

On the north side of the Twin Dragon restaurant in Englewood, you will find this unique mural featuring, you guessed it, twin dragons! Find the mural at 3021 S Broadway in Englewood. I hear the food's pretty tasty, too!

Littleton World War II Memorial

Littleton's Ketring Park is a quaint spot not far from downtown Littleton. It features a small lake and a nice little path that goes around it. The park is also home to the Littleton Museum. Just to the north of the museum parking lot, you will find a large memorial, dedicated to those who served during World War II.

The memorial grew out of a special gathering for World War II vets and their families in 1995, the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. It was dedicated on November 11, 2000. The memorial features several monoliths representing the various theaters of the war. The text on each was written by the history departments at various Littleton high schools, and Arapahoe Community College.

You can visit the memorial at Ketring Park, 6000 S Gallup St in Littleton.

The Big Red Tower in Highlands Ranch

Have you ever been driving around and spotted something that makes you say, "what is that?" Such was the case for me a few years ago when a large red structure went up in the downtown Highlands Ranch area. In the months that followed a hospital building went up nearby, and a park was developed around the structure. But still, what the heck is that big red thing!? Is it functional? Is it art? Well, the answer is a little of both.

The tower, which stands in the center of Central Park in Highlands Ranch, is functional. It's a radio communications tower. Highlands Ranch sits at the top edge of Douglas County, which stretches way down south another 30 miles. Much of the county is quite rural and it was determined that there were many "dead zones" when it came to radio signals. This was, obviously, a bit of a concern for emergency services. 

It was determined that the best spot for the tower was on the very spot which it now stands. The 150-foot tower was completed in August of 2017. It improves public-safety radio coverage around Highlands Ranch by 325%.

Lucky for us, the powers that be decided to be a bit creative with the structure. Rather than just having one spire, the tower has three points in a unique arrangement. It is painted International Orange, that's the same color as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. So, in other words, it's red.

It's certainly a unique landmark in Highlands Ranch. Plus, it's just a short walk away from where the Highlands Ranch Gorillas stand guard. You can find the tower in Central Park, 1365 Park Central Dr in Highlands Ranch.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial - City Park

I admit, It probably would've been more appropriate for me to time this post with the Martin Luther King Jr holiday last week. Hey, better late than never, and besides, it's not like celebrating Dr. King is only allowed one day a year. When that mood strikes you to recognize the man, Denver's City Park has an impressive memorial perfect for times of reflection.

The bronze statue by artist Ed Dwight was installed in 2002, replacing another King monument that moved south to Pueblo. The statue of King stands on a tiered pedestal. Statues of four other individuals surround him. These include Frederick Douglas, Rosa Parks, Mohandas Gandhi, and Sojourner Truth.

Surrounding the pedestal on four sides are a series of tablets that detail the struggle of African Americans, key events in King's lights, and several of King's quotes.

The memorial is located in the southern part of the park, just a short jog northeast of the State of Colorado Fountain I detailed in a previous post. City Park is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd in Denver.

Littleton Blvd, Between Greenwood St and Hickory St, Mid-century Modern Architecture

It's been a little while since we looked at some of the mid-mod architecture on Littleton Boulevard. More recent posts have moved us further west, toward downtown Littleton. However, today we're going to venture back a few blocks east to a section of the road between Greenwood and Hickory Streets.

Our first stop is the Nickels-Hill Chapel of Peace designed by Raymond Heyl in 1958. Today it is known as the Drinkwine Family Mortuary. This is an intriguing building, featuring stone walls and dramatic glass windows. Yet, the location still has a peaceful, park-like feel. 

It's interesting to see photos from when this building was new, and the trees were much smaller. Today, however, the greenery seems to envelop the building. You can find this building at 999 W Littleton Blvd.

Across the street and down the block are two more interesting buildings, that I, unfortunately, don't have any background information on. The first building is located at 1060 W Littleton Blvd. It's large windows and unique slanted roof definitely draw the eye. Today the building houses a non-profit organization the assists adults with special needs.

Right next door is a small strip mall that also has unique mid-mod features. Like its next-door neighbor, this building also has a unique angled roof. Today the building houses two offices, including a medical dispensary. We are in Colorado, after all.

I find the brickwork on the west wall of the building to be quite interesting, as well. This building is located at 1080 W Littleton Blvd.