Art District on Santa Fe:
Galleries Galore and Latin Flair
Boundaries: 7th Ave., Santa Fe Dr., 10th Ave.
Distance: 0.5 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Parking: Free 2-hour parking is available on Santa Fe Dr. and side streets; $5 parking at West High School parking lot on First Fridays (proceeds fund the school’s cultural programs) at 10th Ave. and Galapago St.
Public Transit: The RTD light-rail stops at 10th Ave. and Osage St.; RTD 1 bus stops on this route.
The La Alma/Lincoln Park neighborhood of Denver is one with historic roots as deep as downtown and Auraria, but it remains lesser known. The buildings around here―whether homes, storefronts, warehouses, or theatres―date back to the late 1800s and turn of the century, and many have stucco covering the original brick, which gives more of a New Mexico feel than other parts of Denver. The primary business district of the neighborhood is along Santa Fe Drive, where you’ll find the city’s largest concentration of art galleries for three vibrant blocks. La Alma/Lincoln Park has a predominantly Hispanic population, and that culture resonates throughout a handful of the more significant galleries and art institutions on this walk. The emphasis in these art spaces is on local talent―artists based in Denver and Colorado―but there is also room for national and international work on display here. Even if you are not a serious art collector, the gift shops of some galleries make it easy for anyone to become a patron of the arts. On the First Friday of each month year-round, these narrow sidewalks are filled with people walking from gallery to gallery. During the holidays, traditional luminarias line the streets as well. Or it can be a fun afternoon stroll with a stop for tasty Mexican food and seeing art at your own pace.
Walk Description
Begin this walk on the west corner of 7th Avenue and Santa Fe Drive. Walk north on Santa Fe Drive. The majority of the galleries on this walk are members of Art District on Santa Fe―a collection of dozens of galleries, shops, and restaurants that goes beyond these three blocks. Along the walk you will see banners and window stickers for Art District on Santa Fe, and you can pick up very handy brochures with maps to guide you along this street and beyond.
On your immediate left is the Denver Civic Theater, now the home of Su Teatro. The building itself opened in 1921 as one of Denver’s first silent movie theatres and had many other uses before renovation in the 1990s to be used as two theatre spaces. Su Teatro is the third-oldest Chicano theatre company in the United States. Su Teatro performs original plays, adaptations, and other works relevant to the Chicano/Latino community each year.
Next on this block is Artists on Santa Fe, a co-op gallery of Denver artists and their open studios where you can see them create ceramics, paintings, sculpture, and photography.
About halfway down the block after crossing 8th Avenue, step into John Fielder’s Colorado gallery. John Fielder is Colorado’s preeminent photographer, who is known for his vivid Colorado landscape images of mountain peaks, golden aspens, colorful wildflower meadows, and more. Fielder has published several books―guidebooks, children’s books, instructional books―but may be best known for his Colorado 1870–2000 books in which he recreates the landscape images of photographer W. H. Jackson. This gallery shows works of many other nature photographers too.
A few doors down is the Museo de las Americas, an educational space that also exhibits Latino art. The Museo is one of the organizations on Santa Fe Drive with a focus solely on Latino culture and art, through summer camps, workshops, and tours.
As you go to cross 9th Avenue, note that to your left is the Renegade Brewing Company, where you can sip fresh beer and talk with friends in their taproom―no TVs, on purpose!―and if you’re lucky, there might be a food truck outside serving up a hot nibble.
Continuing on Santa Fe Drive after crossing 9th Avenue you will see the Center for Visual Art (the off-campus Metropolitan State University of Denver art gallery). Shows here go well beyond the student body art with exhibits by internationally recognized artists such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, group shows by women artists from Vietnam and Japanese women ceramicists, all with educational components such as related workshops and lectures by visiting artists or professors.
At 10th Avenue, you can take a left and shop for some very hip ties at Knotty Tie Co (such a clever name!). Neck ties, bow ties, and pocket squares for the gents, lightweight scarves for the gals, all made right here in Denver.
If you missed the food truck at Renegade, pop into Interstate Kitchen & Bar, just across 10th Avenue, for some comfort food (brunch, lunch, or dinner on weekends, but just dinner on weekdays).
Although this walk doesn’t continue north on Santa Fe Drive, it’s worth noting that the Colorado Ballet relocated their headquarters to 11th Avenue and Santa Fe Drive in 2014, after decades at their previous location near the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Turn right again to walk south on Santa Fe Drive to return to 7th Avenue. The historic Aztlan Theatre will be on your left. It was built in the 1920s and is now used as a music venue.
Halfway down the block begins 910 Arts, which combines housing, exhibit, and performance space. The former livery and bottling plant space has an open-air courtyard, a coffee shop called Studio 6, eight lofts, and 17 studios, all of it painted in eye-catching bright yellows, reds, and greens.
At the corner of 9th Avenue is Spark Gallery, the Mile High City’s oldest art cooperative, featuring 30 established artists working in a variety of mediums, and the Core New Art Space with shows by emerging artists.
Just after crossing 8th Avenue you will come to the CHAC (short for Chicano Humanities and Arts Council) Gallery & Cultural Center, showcasing Latino/Chicano performance and visual art. Check their calendar for new visual artists, musicians, dancers, and poets, and plan ahead for their special events such as Santos & Crosses in August, El Dia de los Muertos in October and November, and Luminarias de la Guadalupe in December.
Surprise! Ethiopian food at Santa Fe Drive’s Arada Ethiopian Restaurant offers an alternative to the Mexican restaurants and pubs in the area with exotic dishes in a colorful dining room for dinner only.
Next up is what you expect in this neighborhood: simple and delicious Mexican food. El Noa Noa has a courtyard with fountain and mariachi band for those warm summer nights in the city and simple combination platters or a la carte items with cold Mexican beer. Next door is El Taco de Mexico, also with familiar beef or chicken tacos, of course, but adventurous eaters might want to try the tongue or brain on the menu in this small cafe.
At the corner of 7th Avenue and Santa Fe Drive, notice the Byers Branch Library. The Byers Library was built in 1918 as part of the Carnegie-funded libraries and is unique for its Spanish eclectic architectural style. The library was named for William N. Byers, founder of the now defunct Rocky Mountain News, and it is now a designated historic landmark.
The walk ends at 7th Avenue and Santa Fe Drive.
