HOW TIME FLIES: Quirky, Stubborn, Authentic
A Park Hill Native’s Lifelong Love Affair With This Resilient Neighborhood
By Gary Martyn | For the GPHN
Top: a photo of the long-closed Crest Theater (previously the Tower Theater), at 22nd and Kearney Street. Middle: The author’s father, R.H. Martyn, sits astride a horse in front of the family home at 25th and Forest Street, in 1921. Bottom: Gary Martyn, on Fairfax Street between 28th and 29th avenues. The business block has been Martyn’s stomping grounds since he was a kid — and he’s seen a lot of changes.
A while back, we had lunch at Yuan Wonton at 29th and Fairfax.
I got to talking to our delightful server, Heather, about the neighborhood, as she has read some of my past contributions in this paper. I told her of growing up a couple blocks away in the 1950s and 60s, and how much fun we had as kids, riding our bikes to Fairfax and all the shops that were there.
It was our Main Street: Super Saver grocery, an ice cream shop, hardware, drugstore, barbers. There was even a new concept back then — a 7-11 store — where you could get all sorts of treats at 7 a.m.
I recalled the ebb and flow of Fairfax Street, going from being vibrant to a little tattered. New, bigger centers opened nearby, on 33rd and Dahlia, and 34th and Holly. Both had bigger grocery stores, lots of parking and newer shops, along with some entertainment options. We kids also went to the new centers to spend our nickels.
Another nearby business block, at 23rd and Kearney, had a movie theater along with a grocery, candy shop, cafe, drugstore, and other shops. As youngsters, our Saturday haunt was the Tower Theater, a movie theater that later became the Crest. Our parents didn’t worry about us there — it was close by and lots of kids were there.
Fading and rebirth
But, just like Fairfax, Kearney faded. It wasn’t as dramatic, but the grocery left, and the theater fell on hard times and closed — many more modern movie houses had opened around town. I remember one evening in the late 70’s or early 80’s, walking the length of Kearney Street on my way to an event at Smiley Junior High and not seeing a soul. The only thing open was the venerable Mr. Hawk’s liquors, on 22nd Avenue.
Empty storefronts presented an opportunity to reimagine these streets. The grocery on Kearney was perfect for the gymnastics school that the Dardanos opened in 1983. Amato Fruit and Produce, an importer of fine produce, opened on the block around when Dardanos opened. There was also a fashion photographer nearby, a dry cleaner, beauty shop and other small shops. The new businesses brought in some foot traffic, and things started to pick up.
Many shops have come and gone on Kearney, but the street has remained resilient. In the early 2000s, Tables restaurant opened, Cake Crumbs opened, Ciji’s opened, the Art Garage opened, and the block started to find stability.
Messy parts
28th and Fairfax Street did not recover in quite the same way. It was lean times for years. The east side of the street was particularly run down.
The registered neighborhood organization, Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. has long been headquartered on that business block of Fairfax — on the west side. During the 80s and 90s and into the new century, GPHC engaged in constant battles regarding liquor licenses on the block — especially with a cabaret-style club trying to open.
The grocery had become a church. A host of other businesses and nonprofits tried to make the street work for them. The Bike Depot, which opened in 2008, was a bright spot of these openings.
In 2017, a plan for Park Hill Commons was announced, and the entire east side of the street was torn down for redevelopment.
Longtime residents of the area decried the gentrification of the block, but the Commons project was approved — along with a controversial land swap between the developer and the city for what is now the pocket park in the middle of the development. The park and land swap is a story this paper covered in all its messy parts.
The next shiny new idea
Fast forward to 2026. Now is the time to stay resilient. Just as the neighborhood continues to suffer through the Colfax Bus Rapid Transit construction, the state is now talking about building one on Colorado Boulevard. The planning stage is supposedly in its early stages, but Colorado Department of Transportation officials seem determined that BRT is the way to go. Construction could start in two to three years.
In May, Councilman Darrell Watson told community members he believes it would be closer to 10 years before construction could start — mainly because of the funding challenges. Who knows at this point where RTD — which would be running the buses — stands on this thing? It seems possible that none of the entities of the possible project are even on the same page.
Hopefully the city has learned something from the Colfax BRT and will be better prepared to support the Colorado Boulevard merchants. Maybe — just maybe — all the entities will see the value of actually doing a study to see whether the Colfax BRT works as intended before charging ahead on Colorado Boulevard. Don’t hold your breath on that.
One thing is sure, and constant. Because of its people, Park Hill is always a great place to live.
Gary Martyn grew up in Park Hill.