A History of the Highlands Neighborhood in Denver

The Highlands neighborhood in North Denver began as the Highland townsite, claimed in 1858 by the founder of Denver City. It governed itself as an independent town and city until Denver annexed it in 1896. Waves of German, Irish, Italian, and Hispanic families then shaped its streets and institutions. Its Potter Highlands Historic District preserves Victorian-era homes from those early decades. In 1927, Highlands Temple Lodge #86 added the Classical Greek Revival landmark at 3550 Federal Boulevard, which still stands today.

Founded	Town of Highlands incorporated April 8, 1875; annexed by Denver in 1896
Location	Northwest of downtown Denver; the Highland neighborhood is commonly described as running from Federal Boulevard on the west to the railroad corridor on the east, with West Highland beyond Federal
Notable landmark	Highlands Event Center at 3550 Federal Boulevard, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995
Character	Victorian-era homes, the Potter Highlands Historic District, diverse cultural heritage, Federal Boulevard civic corridor, Tennyson Street commercial district

The Highlands neighborhood Denver knows today grew from a townsite claimed in 1858, and Federal Boulevard carries much of that history. The street was once called simply The Boulevard, and before that it was the main street of an independent town across the river from Denver. Understanding the neighborhood means understanding the people who built it, their civic ambitions, and the buildings they left behind. That includes the 1927 landmark whose story is told in our history of Highlands Event Center.

Before Denver Was Denver: The 1858 Townsite

In December 1858, General William Larimer Jr. claimed the Highland townsite. Larimer had founded Denver City the month before, and he quickly turned to the elevated ground northwest of the new settlement, across the South Platte River. The Rocky Mountain News praised the location for residences, noting its views over Auraria, Denver, and the surrounding territory.

The South Platte River formed a natural boundary between Highland and the early Denver settlements. In 1859, the Highland Town Company formed and began planning a bridge across the Platte. Early settlers found practical advantages beyond the view. Artesian water near Federal Boulevard provided clean drinking water, and the elevation offered better air than the lower parts of the growing city.

These advantages became a selling point. While early Denver was a rough frontier town, the Highlands presented itself as something different. Residents planted trees, kept gardens, and invested in civic institutions. Settlement grew steadily, and the area’s first one-room schoolhouse dates to 1872, three years before the town incorporated. The town earned the nickname Garden City of the Plains, reflecting both its setting and its aspirations.

An Independent City: 1875 to 1896

The Town of Highlands was incorporated on April 8, 1875, and became a city in 1885. In the two decades between incorporation and annexation, Highlands built the institutions of a working municipality: schools, churches, banks, a firehouse, stores, a newspaper, and its own local government.

Federal Boulevard, then known simply as The Boulevard, was lined with the homes of doctors, business owners, and civic leaders. It was the address that signaled standing in the independent city of Highlands, and it remained the area’s civic spine for more than a century.

The Highlands also cultivated a distinct civic character. The town discouraged saloons through steep liquor license requirements, a deliberate contrast with the Denver of the same era. Churches were spread throughout the town, and residents treated tree planting and garden upkeep as civic duties. The town reflected its founders’ goal: a place apart from Denver’s rougher character, set above the city across the river.

The 1896 Annexation and What Came Next

The 1893 Silver Crash ended the self-confidence that had defined Highlands through its independent years. The collapse of silver prices devastated Colorado’s economy, draining municipal funds and straining the infrastructure the town had built. The independent city found it increasingly hard to maintain the schools, streets, and services residents expected.

In 1896, residents of the Highlands, faced with rising infrastructure costs and waning political autonomy, voted to be annexed into the City of Denver. Annexation ended Highlands’ run as an independent city but brought it into Denver’s expanding utility and transportation network, and the neighborhood’s growth picked up in the years that followed.

The architectural record from the decades after annexation shows who came. Streetcar lines connecting Highland to downtown brought new residents. Wealthy early settlers had built ornate Queen Anne and Italianate houses, many of which survive today in the Potter Highlands Historic District. As the neighborhood grew more accessible, successive waves of immigration added new layers to its buildings and culture.

The Potter Highlands Historic District

The Potter Highlands Historic District sits within the Highland neighborhood and preserves a large concentration of homes from its early residential growth. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It is roughly bounded by West 38th Avenue on the north, Zuni Street on the east, West 32nd Avenue on the south, and Federal Boulevard on the west.

The district is known for its Victorian-era homes. Walking its blocks is a direct way to see the houses that gave the Town of Highlands its reputation as a desirable place to live. The streets read as a record of the decades when the town was independent and, after 1896, newly part of Denver.

Potter Highlands is also a designated Denver historic district, so it is recognized at both the federal and city levels. The separate Highland Park Historic District lies nearby.

For readers who want to go deeper, the Denver Public Library’s Potter Highlands neighborhood history (opens in a new tab) is a useful starting point, with background on the town’s founding and the district’s development.

The Cultural Layers of North Denver

The neighborhood’s cultural history is not the story of a single community but of a sequence of them, each adding to the place without fully replacing what came before. Its position near the Platte River, beside the railroad and industrial corridors that developed along the river, made it a natural destination for immigrant workers drawn by Denver’s industrial growth.

German immigrants came first in large numbers, drawn to the breweries along the Platte. Philip Zang’s Rocky Mountain Brewery was a well-known example, and German brewing families left a lasting mark on the neighborhood. Irish immigrants followed, drawn by railroad work. By the early 20th century, Italian immigrants had built a close-knit community in North Denver. It included Italian churches, an orphanage and school associated with Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, and Italian-language newspapers and social clubs.

Over the 20th century, North Denver also became home to a growing Hispanic community. Federal Boulevard and the surrounding streets carry the legacy of families who made North Denver home across generations, and celebrations such as the quinceañera remain part of that heritage. It is visible today in local institutions, businesses, and community life, alongside newer arrivals.

The Highlands Neighborhood Denver Knows Today

The Highlands of the early 21st century bears the imprint of every era of its history. Many Victorian homes in Potter Highlands date to the late 19th century. Craftsman bungalows and Denver Squares from the early 20th century line residential streets, and interwar institutional buildings, including the 1927 Masonic Temple at 3550 Federal, anchor the civic corridors.

Tennyson Street, running north and south through West Highland, has become a busy commercial corridor and gathering point. Independent bookstores, restaurants, art galleries, and community businesses line the street, reflecting the neighborhood’s walkable, residential character and giving it a contemporary identity rooted in its history.

Federal Boulevard remains the neighborhood’s institutional spine. Many major buildings on Federal from 29th Avenue northward are civic and religious institutions, a pattern that dates to the independent city era. The Highlands Masonic Temple at 3550 Federal, built in 1927 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, is one of these anchors and occupies a full city block.

3550 Federal Boulevard in Its Neighborhood Context

In 1927, Highlands Temple Lodge #86 commissioned architects Merrill and Burnham Hoyt to design its building at 3550 Federal Boulevard. Its Classical Greek Revival design and full-block scale continued the civic tradition of the street once called The Boulevard. The building’s architecture, Masonic origins, and interior details are covered in our Highlands Event Center history guide, and you can learn more about Highlands Event Center today.

“a perfect Eden, a Utopia”

Denver Public Library, Potter Highlands neighborhood history
Potter Highlands Neighborhood History (opens in a new tab)

The library’s Potter Highlands neighborhood history uses this phrase to describe the vision behind the Town of Highlands. Its neighborhood history guides cover the town’s founding, the Potter Highlands area, and the institutions that shaped North Denver.

The Highlands neighborhood has been part of Denver’s story since 1858, and 3550 Federal Boulevard has been part of the neighborhood since 1927. Highlands Event Center hosts weddings, corporate gatherings, and social celebrations for up to 400 guests in a building that belongs to this neighborhood. Get in touch to learn more or schedule a tour.

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