The Denver Public Library traces its origins to 1889, when it opened within a room inside Denver High School. Andrew Carnegie funded the library's first building at Civic Center Park, as well as some of its original branch locations. As the city grew, so did the need for a bigger central library. The second building, known to many Denver residents as the “Old Main” library, served the downtown area between 1950 and 1995. That building was replaced with this modern building, completed in 1995 after voters approved a bond project in 1990.This new Central Library is 540,000 square feet. It was designed by Michael Graves and the Denver firm of Klipp Colussy Jenks DuBois. New branch sites have been added in recent years with an additional bond. Michael Graves has had projects all over the world. He is widely credited for spearheading multiple design movements in architecture.Other notable features of the Denver Public Library including a public art sculpture from Mark di Suvero outside the building in a neighboring plaza. The piece, called Lao Tzu, is bright orange, made of steel, and is 30 feet tall and weighs 16 tons. The Denver Summit of the Eight took place in 1997 and featured eight world leaders. They met at the Legacy Table in the Central Library.The Denver Public Library offers a wide range of resources, classes, events and education for everyone. The Library offers special services to students, businesses, and immigrants, among others. It is the largest library between Chicago and Los Angeles, and serves a million people each year.

The Denver Public Library traces its origins to 1889, when it opened within a room inside Denver High School. Andrew Carnegie funded the library's first building at Civic Center Park, as well as some of its original branch locations. As the city grew, so did the need for a bigger central library. The second building, known to many Denver residents as the “Old Main” library, served the downtown area between 1950 and 1995. That building was replaced with this modern building, completed in 1995 after voters approved a bond project in 1990.

The Denver Public Library's Central Library was designed by world-renowned architect Michael Graves. 

Denver Public Library- New Central Library

The Byers-Evans House was built in 1883 for William N. Byers. It was a stately Italianate-style home that reflected its owner’s standing in the community. Byers printed Denver’s first newspaper, the&nbsp;Rocky Mountain News, on April 23, 1859. It is still in print today. As editor, Byers used his paper to promote Denver and the surrounding region. Byers became close friends with John Evans, Colorado’s second territorial governor.&nbsp; These men - along with their wives Elizabeth Byers and Margaret Evans - played pivotal roles in Denver’s early growth by helping to establish religious, educational, legal, and social institutions.William G. Evans, the oldest son of former governor John Evans, bought the home in 1889. William and his wife Cornelia moved in with their two young children, John and Josephine.&nbsp; During the next five years, daughters Margaret and Katharine were born. An important business and civic leader in his own right, William headed the Denver Tramway Company and helped develop the Moffat Tunnel.&nbsp; Piercing the Continental Divide, the 6.2 mile tunnel culminated efforts to link Denver to Colorado’s western slope and solidified the city’s place as the region’s commercial hub. The family became instrumental in the Denver arts community, as well. The home has been restored to the period between 1912 and 1924. It includes most of the home's original furnishings. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August of 1970. Today the home is a museum which features an art gallery and offers school programming and many special events. It also houses a gift shop featuring lots of unique Colorado-made items.

This historic Italianate-style house served as a home for two prominent Denver families. It was built for William N. Byers, the owner of the Rocky Mountain News, in 1883. William G. Evans, the head of the Denver Tramway Corporation and oldest son of former governor John Evans, bought the home in 1889. The house is operated by History Colorado and features an art gallery which showcases works reflecting the history of Denver and the Mountain West. 

Front of the home with a banner displaying just some of the events held there: tours, dramas, and dinners.

Byers-Evans House Museum

In 2005, the art installation known as Wheel was dedicated to the city of Denver thanks to the efforts of the Denver Art Museum. Artist Edgar Heap of Birds designed this sculpture which consists of ten forked poles with information about Native American History. In 2018, the art installation was taken down during a renovation of the Gio Ponti North building. This decision was initially met with anger by the artist who was not informed of the decision. The art installation was created to be a gathering place for the community and serves as the end of the Sand Creek Massacre Spiritual Run-Walk in honor of the victims Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. In this tragic chapter of Colorado history, soldiers massacred 230 Cheyenne and Arapahoe at Sand Creek. The route represents the 173 miles used by the soldiers when they returned to Denver where paraded into the city with dismembered body parts of the Native people they had killed. The circle, formed by the red metal birds, is reminiscent of the Big Horn Medicine Wheel. The ten poles align with the summer solstice that happens on June 21st. The sun rises in an opening to the east between the first and last poles. Each pole recounts stories of the American Indian people in Colorado and surrounding regions. Behind the work on the old North Building were the words “nah-kev-ho-eyea-zim” which can be translated to “turning back around to where we came from” or “we are always returning back home again.” Until 2018, the sculpture sat on the land directly in front of the Denver Art Museums North (Ponti) Building. As the Denver Art Museum planned a major renovation to the building, they intended to move Wheel to another location. However, they failed to disclose the move to the artist which resulted in a heated exchange between the museum and artist Heap of Birds. The two parties have since resolved the dispute and the Denver Art Museum has approval from the artist about where to reinstall Wheel. Additionally the Denver Art Museum agreed to move 12 inches of soil from the original location to the new site. Heap of Birds stated about the relocation,<blockquote>“We’ve all deepened our understanding, and the mission of art is to deepen our understanding.”</blockquote>

Located between the Denver Art Museum and The Denver Library, this modern outdoor sculpture symbolizes the Big Horn Medicine Wheel. The public art installation consists of ten red poles topped with abstract birds flying in a circle. The circle is astrologically positioned to receive the summer solstice on June 21st. Stories of American Indians adorn the cultures and the art installation is utilized as an ending place for the Sand Creek Massacre Spiritual Run-Walk. In 2018, Wheel was taken down during a renovation of the Denver Art Museum with the intent of being rededicated along with soil from the original site.

Wheel from Denver Public Library (old site)

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Denver Public Library- New Central Library

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