After almost 25 years in the making one of Denver’s newest neighborhoods, Central Park, is slated to be completely built out this year. In honor of the milestone, we’re looking back at the history of the former aviation hub.
The Early Days
Central Park is located at a historic site that started off as grazing land for the Windsor Dairy cattle and later became the Stapleton International Airport, which first opened in 1929 as the Denver Municipal Airport. The airfield was named after former Mayor Benjamin Stapleton, who approved the purchase of land for the project.
Notably during the airport’s operation, pilot Marlon D. Green helped pave the way for Black pilots by fighting against hiring discrimination at Continental Airlines. Green sued the airline when they refused to hire him, taking his case all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in Green’s favor. Green flew for the airline for 17 years and had a plane named after him in retirement.
Becoming A Community
After the airport closed in 1995 and was demolished, the neighborhood we see today began to take shape when developers Forest City Enterprises reimagined the 4,700 acres of land into a master plan community and started construction in 2001.
One landmark leftover from its era as an airport is the air traffic control tower — which has since been turned into FlyteCo Tower, a brewery and restaurant. The neighborhood is also known for its open spaces, including Denver’s third-largest park. It’s home to 12 subdivisions and more than 30,000 people.
A Name Change
Originally, the airport and neighborhood were named after the above-mentioned former mayor Benjamin Stapleton, who led Denver for two non-consecutive terms between 1923 and 1947. But it was well known that Stapleton was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan during his tenure, something that did not sit right with many Denverites over the coming decades. After years of community groups pushing for a change, Denver City Council voted to officially rename the neighborhood Central Park in 2021.
Special thanks to the Denver Public Library, Front Porch Stapleton, The Denver Post, and the Urban Land Institute for their reporting and additional resources on this topic.
