Recently I drove through the Clements Historic District, which is located just to the northeast of downtown Denver, where I took the photograph above of The Kingston Row, built in 1890 in the Queen Anne style. I assume these were originally apartments, but are now completely renovated townhomes. Just around the corner, facing Benedict Fountain Park, is the Queen Anne Urban Bed and Breakfast, which consists of two side by side Victorian houses, built in 1879 and 1886. This area is filled with many beautiful and historic homes, and I was amazed when I heard that back in the 1970s, when Denver was awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics, this entire area was scheduled to be demolished to make room for various Olympic venues. Back then, Denver demolished many historic buildings, thanks to the urban renewal craze, most notably many historic structures on Larimer Street. At the time, Larimer Street was Denver's skid row, and the thinking was that if all the buildings were torn down, the winos and transients who inhabited the area would disappear. For some reason they could not figure out that those winos and transients would simply move further up the street. But happily for what is now the Clements Historic District, there was a movement to prevent the Olympics from taking place in Colorado, supported by future governor Richard Lamm, and they succeeded in canceling the games here. Almost makes you forgive Governor Lamm for his remark that the elderly, if they are terminally ill, have a duty to die. Almost.
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