- Related Topics:
- African Americans
- Related Places:
- Colorado
- Denver
- United States
Five Points
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What is Five Points in Denver?
Five Points, a historic neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, emerged in the 1860s as a residential area and became one of the largest African American communities in the western United States between the late 1800s and early 1900s. It offered an economic base with numerous African American-owned businesses, such as restaurants, barbershops, and stores. By 1950, due to segregation, over 89% of Denver's African Americans resided in Five Points.
During the early to mid-20th century, its commercial district became a popular venue for premier jazz musicians like Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker. Five Points faced decline in the 1960s and 70s but has since revitalized into a vibrant multicultural neighborhood. Designated a cultural historic district in 2002, it houses attractions like the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center.
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Where is Five Points located within Denver, Colorado?
Five Points is a historic neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. Founded in the 1860s as a residential suburb, it quickly became one of the largest African American communities in the western United States between the late 1800s and early 1900s. By 1950, over 89% of Denver's African Americans resided in Five Points. The area declined in the 1960s and 70s, but it has since been revitalized as a multicultural neighborhood. Today, it is a designated cultural historic district featuring commercial areas, residential buildings, cultural attractions such as the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center, and convenient access to downtown Denver via a light rail line.
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Why is the neighborhood called 'Five Points'?
Five Points in Denver, Colorado, derives its name from the intersection of five streets that formed the heart of the neighborhood. Founded in the 1860s, it quickly became a prominent African American community as people migrated from the South after the Civil War.
By 1950, over 89% of Denverās African Americans resided there, but the area declined due to overcrowding. However, Five Points has since revived, becoming a multicultural neighborhood and a designated cultural historic district in 2002. The area is known for its cultural attractions, such as the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center.
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What is the history of Five Points and who first lived there?
Five Points, a historic Denver neighborhood, emerged in the 1860s as a residential area and became one of the largest African American communities in the western United States between the late 1800s and early 1900s. African Americans migrated to Five Points from the South, seeking better opportunities after the Civil War. Denver's African American population grew significantly, with many settling in Five Points. By 1950, over 89% of Denver's African Americans resided there.
Five Points became a hub of Black-owned businesses, including the Inter-Ocean Hotel, established in 1874 by Barney Ford. The community also had churches, newspapers, and professionals like doctors and lawyers. Madam C.J. Walker, considered the first self-made female millionaire in the U.S., also lived and operated her business in Five Points.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Five Points become known for its African-American culture and jazz music?
Five Points in Denver, Colorado, became a prominent African American community after the Civil War, attracting those seeking better opportunities in the West. By the early 20th century, the neighborhood flourished with Black-owned businesses, churches, and newspapers, establishing a strong economic and cultural foundation.
During the early to mid-20th century, Five Points' commercial district became a hub for jazz music, hosting renowned musicians such as Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, and Lionel Hampton, who played in local clubs and halls. Despite facing challenges like overcrowding due to housing segregation, Five Points has revived as a multicultural neighborhood, celebrating its rich heritage and cultural attractions.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Five Points, historic neighbourhood in Denver, Colorado, that was one of the largest African American communities in the western United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Five Points was founded in the 1860s as a residential suburb and was quickly populated by African Americans seeking better lives outside the South in the years after the Civil War. Indeed, the African American population of Denver grew from 237 in 1870 to more than 5,000 in 1910, with many of them settling in Five Points. The growth of the African American community in Five Points represents a pattern that occurred throughout the American West in the last half of the 19th century.
Five Points provided an economic foundation for the growing community and had numerous African American-owned businesses, including barbershops, restaurants, and stores. In 1874 Barney Ford, a local entrepreneur, opened the Inter-Ocean Hotel, which catered to African Americans. By the turn of the century, Denverās African American community featured three newspapers, nine churches, a funeral home, and a drug store as well as two African American doctors, three lawyers, and several professional musicians.
Economic growth in Five Points even extended to African American women. Besides working as dressmakers and shopkeepers, some of Denverās African American females worked in mining. Two of them, Mary E. Phelps and L.K. Daniels, ran the Bonita Gold and Silver Mining Company in the late 19th century. One of the most famous residents of Denverās Five Points was Madam C.J. Walker, an African American woman regarded as the first self-made female millionaire in U.S. history. She began selling hair-care products in the late 19th century. She moved to Denver in 1906, and her business included a manufacturing headquarters that distributed her cosmetics throughout the country.
During the early and mid-20th century, the Five Points commercial district became a favoured stop for some of the worldās premier jazz musicians, including Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, and Lionel Hampton. Those and other musicians came to play in Five Points clubs and performance halls, and many stayed in the Rossonian Hotel.
By the mid-20th century, segregation in housing had caused Five Points to become overcrowded. More than 89 percent of African Americans in Denver lived in Five Points by 1950, and the 19th-century housing available to those residents fell well below safe standards. Five Points declined in the 1960s and ā70s but subsequently revived to become a vibrant multicultural neighbourhood.
It was designated a cultural historic district in 2002 by the city of Denver. In addition to its commercial areas, old residential buildings, and new housing developments, Five Points features many cultural attractions, including the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center, which is located in the former home of Justina Ford, the first African American licensed female physician in Colorado. The neighbourhood is linked directly to downtown Denver by a light rail line, and the Juneteenth celebration attracts more than 100,000 people annually.
(Read Charles Blowās Britannica essay on the Juneteenth holiday.)
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