Colfax Avenue Public Art Installation

Dedicated in November 2019, this pink seven-foot public art installation features the logo of the nonprofit Colfax Avenue. The organization supports public art and programs. Colfax Avenue extends a total length of 26.5 miles through Aurora, Denver, Lakewood, and Golden, Colorado. The longest continuous commercial street, it also connects the edge of the Great Plains to the edge of the Rocky Mountains. The road was named in honor of Schuyler Colfax, a political leader from Indiana known for his opposition to slavery who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives during Lincoln's presidency and Vice President under Ulysses Grant. Colfax Avenue has had its ups and downs. The street was once termed "the wickedest street" because of illicit activity during the 1970s and 80s. In recent decades, it has been the center of urban redevelopment and home to many public arts installations.

Colfax Avenue is considered the longest commercial street in America and passes through numerous cities in the Denver Metro Area. Schuyler was born in 1823 and became a correspondent for the Indiana State Journal and then a publisher for the St. Joseph Valley Register of South Bend. In 1854, he was elected as a U.S. Congressman from Indiana. From 1863-69 he was speaker of the House of Representatives. He then served as Vice President under Ulysses S Grant from 1869-1873. One of the influential early leaders within the Republican Party. He pushed other Republicans to oppose slavery and was present on the day President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Colfax had relatives in Denver and visited several times. As Denver grew, a streetcar connected the capitol to Yosemite Street. After I-70 was built, Colfax suffered from a decline and in 1950, the trolley was removed. Buildings were abandoned in the 1970s and 1980s, and with more people moving to the suburbs and using the interstate, Colfax got a reputation for blight and crime.

In 1994 Aurora, Denver, and Lakewood formed a coalition to reinvest in Colfax. The formation of the Colfax Avenue Business Improvement District helped bring new businesses while promoting Denver's iconic businesses like Pete’s Kitchen, Tom’s Diner, Illegal Petes, Voodoo Donuts. With public art installations and festivals, the area is home to a thriving music and arts scene.

1. History of Colfax Avenue, Colfax Avenue. Accessed July 22nd 2020. http://www.colfaxavenue.org/p/history-of-colfax-avenue.html.
2. Hafen, Leroy R. Through the Colorado Mountains with Colfax. Colorado Magazine. September 1st 1938. 161 - 168.
3. History of Colfax Avenue, Colfax Avenue. Accessed July 27th 2020. http://www.colfaxavenue.org/p/history-of-colfax-avenue.html.