“Once acclaimed as the “Harlem of the West,” Denver’s Five Points neighborhood gained popularity as a destination for some of the world’s most famous jazz performers including Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday.
Today, it is one of the most sought after areas for real estate investors.
A walk down Welton Street reveals landmarks that still stand, like the famed Rossonian Hotel where those performers graced crowds of all races, including Blacks who came to Denver to make their mark in history in areas of sports, art and business. African-Americans were not allowed to stay at other hotels in Denver at that time.
A unique history also lies just off Welton, on the side streets.
Terri Gentry is the great-granddaughter of Denver’s first licensed Black dentist, Dr. Thomas Ernest McClain.
She is also a historian at the Black American West Museum on California Street, which is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
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Turner, Shaul. Fox 31 News 27 February 2021.