Five Points

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Five Points. One of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods, with block after block of Victorian homes mixed with luxury lofts and new housing developments, Five Points is one of the few predominantly African American-owned commercial strips in the country. Some have referred to the area as the “Harlem of the West” for its long-standing jazz history, where many of the greats, including Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and more played at clubs like Rossonian and the Rainbow Room. The area was mentioned frequently in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. The Stiles African American Heritage Center and The Black American West Museum & Heritage Center tell the story of the African-American cowboys and pioneers that helped settle the West.

Where to Find It

About one mile northeast of downtown, bordered by Park Avenue, Downing Street, Stout Street and Tremont Place.

Getting There

Cab fare to Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library at Welton and 24th $6.50 (approx.)
RTD: Line D can be picked up downtown and it ends in Five Points

Locals Know

Restaurants in this neighborhood serve up some of the best Caribbean, soul food, catfish, and BBQ you’ll find anywhere. Five Points includes the neighborhoods surrounding the intersection of Washington Street, 27th Street, 26th Avenue, and Welton Street – the junction between the downtown diagonal grid and the rectangular grid of East Denver neighborhood causes this intersection to be five-way, hence the name.

Special Events

Every June, Five Points celebrates Juneteenth, commemorating the day African Americans in Texas first heard of the Emancipation Proclamation. The festival attracts 100,000 people every year, with a parade and music filling the streets.

Inside Scoop: Neighborhood Businesses

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