Original Aurora

Donald Fletcher

     Donald Fletcher was a real estate tycoon in Colorado in the late 19th century.
     He was born in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, in 1849. His family moved to Chicago, Illinois, when he was a child. He later attended New York University, Knox College and Union Seminary. In 1879, at the age of 30, he moved to Colorado for health reasons. He founded a town on the plains east of Denver in 1891 and named it after himself. Two years later, Fletcher deserted the town and left the residents with bond payments for non-existent water. Without a stable source of water, the town of Fletcher nearly met its demise and petitioned for annexation by Denver. However, the town endured and was renamed Aurora (Latin for "dawn") in 1907, removing the reference to its infamous founder. The townsite of Fletcher is now known as "Original Aurora", the northwest corner of Colorado's third-largest city. Original Aurora is bordered by Yosemite Street on the West, I-225 on the East, 6th Avenue on the South and East 25th Avenue on the North. Click to view an Original Aurora Vicinity Map. Today a square in the heart of Original Aurora is named "Fletcher Plaza" and includes a sunken garden and tree-lined sitting area, one of the city's few urban public places.
      It’s no exaggeration to say that Colfax Avenue brought Original Aurora into being. Aurora’s town founders deliberately placed the suburb on the Colfax streetcar line, which provided a life sustaining connection to Denver. After 1920, when the streetcars gave way to automobiles, Colfax evolved into a four-lane commercial strip that carried America’s main coast-to-coast highway, U.S. 40, through Aurora, Denver, and Lakewood. The traffic helped spur tremendous post-war growth. Aurora’s population boomed from 3,000 in 1940, to nearly 50,000 by 1960, while Colfax’s cluster of motels, department stores, restaurants, and shops became the heart of “downtown Aurora”.

Original Aurora in the 1920's - courtesy Aurora History Museum

     But not for long. The Denver segment of Interstate 70 opened in 1958, supplanting U.S. 40 as the area’s major east-west highway and diverting cross country motorists away from Colfax. Local traffic also migrated elsewhere, to newer neighborhoods and commercial districts served by faster roads and better parking. Even Aurora’s municipal offices relocated to an off-Colfax address.

     Soon Aurora’s Colfax Strip became another Colorado boom-bust tale. By the early 1970’s, it had fallen on hard times, not quite Skid Row but no longer a thriving downtown hub. Plagued by high crime and low incomes, Aurora’s old downtown seemed immune to all efforts at rehabilitation.

     But in the late 1990’s, the district’s fortunes took an abrupt turn for the better. “Original Aurora” found itself the heart of a development triangle, surrounded by major housing and commercial projects and well placed to benefit from redevelopment at the former Lowry Air Force base, Stapleton Airport, and Fitzsimons Army Hospital. Bolstered by the development of the multimillion dollar Florence Square housing complex--Colfax’s first in many years—and banking on the creation of an arts and cultural complex anchored by the Aurora Fox Arts Center and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Colfax developers and residents are dreaming of a better future.

Original Aurora today - Photo by Jonny Barber

     Although East Colfax and Original Aurora are divided by municipal, county, and school district boundaries, many of their needs are similar. These two adjacent communities are situated near the redeveloped areas of Lowry, Stapleton and Fitzsimmons. Despite the bordering redevelopments, East Colfax and Original Aurora have been distressed neighborhoods with a very diverse and increasing immigrant population. At the same time, there is growing energy within the community and by organizations eager to strengthen the community and improve opportunities for families and outcomes for children. The Denver Foundation has been working in this area along with other organizations to foster the rich diversity and community connections, as evidenced by the opening of the Aurora Human Rights Center offering family support and workforce advocacy. The Original Aurora Renewal project is helping to revitalize the community, including arts programs, community gardens and the Florence Square project. Other strong community partners include the Aurora Cultural Arts District, Anschutz Medical Campus and the Community College of Aurora.

Total Population: 51,074
Child Population: 15,534
Racial/Ethnic Composition: 52% Hispanic, 23% white, 16% black
Students qualifying for free/reduced lunch: 83%
(*Data Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010; Denver Public Schools and
Aurora Public Schools, 2010)

ORIGINAL AURORA HISTORIC SITES

  

William Smith House
412 Oswego Ct.
Built: 1910
Aurora Historic Landmark #2
Landmarked: 1986
National Register of Historic Places

 

Historic William Smith School
10000 E. 13th Ave.
Built: 1931
Aurora Historic Landmark #4
Landmarked: 1986

 

Aurora Fox Arts Center
 9900 E. Colfax Ave.
Built: 1946
Aurora Historic Landmark #5
Landmarked: 1987

 

H.M. Milliken House 
1638 Galena St.
Built: 1891
Aurora Historic Landmark #6
Landmarked: 1987

 

Italian Villa
1785 Hanover St.
Built: 1925
Aurora Historic Landmark #8
Landmarked: 1988

 

Thomas F. Gilligan House
1455 Beeler St.
Built: 1925
Aurora Historic Landmark #10
Landmarked: 1990

  

Centennial House
1671 Galena St.
Built: 1890
Aurora Historic Landmark #11
Landmarked: 1993
National Register of Historic Places

 

Fuller House
2027 Galena St.
Built: 1892
Aurora Historic Landmark #17
Landmarked: 2001

 

Marshall Cowing House
1580 Dallas St.
Built: 1892
Aurora Historic Landmark #19
Landmarked: 2004

 

Hornbein Building
9901 E. 16th Ave.
Built: 1953
Aurora Historic Landmark #20
Landmarked: 2005

  

Robidoux House
1615 Galena Street
Built: 1913
Aurora Historic Landmark #25
Landmarked: 2011
National Register of Historic Places

  

St. Therese School
1200 Kenton St.
Built: 1956
Aurora Historic Landmark #23
Landmarked: 2007

  

Guardhouses at Fitzsimons General’s Park
Colfax Ave. & Peoria St.
Built: 1919
Aurora Historic Landmark 13
Landmarked: 1999 

Original Aurora Walk Of Fame

Give these Aurorans a star on the sidewalk:

John Kerry, born in Aurora, Colorado is a very, very wealthy politician in the Democratic Party; thanks to his own workings and marrying a woman with the last name of Heinz. He attempted to become the President of the United States during the 2004 election, however George Bush reigned supreme once again as Kerry was dubbed a "flip-flopper" and much controversy was stirred up about his military service. 

Zachery Tyler Bryan, born in Aurora, Colorado, played Tim Allen's eldest son Brad Taylor on the show Home Improvement.

Gil Christner (born in Aurora) – Film and TV actor.

Neil Hopkins (lived in Aurora; attended Regis Jesuit High School) – Film and TV actor

Brandon Quinn (born in Aurora) – Actor, starred as Tommy Dawkins in Big Wolf on Campus

Brian Fisher (born in Denver, lives in Aurora) - Former Major League Baseball pitcher with New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Scott Carpenter (born 1925) - Pilot of Mercury-Atlas 7 (Aurora 7); fourth human to orbit the Earth (1962).

Cole Jordan Hernandez (born June 10, 1988 in Aurora) - American actor and dancer. Best known for his Michael Jackson like dance moves and his appearances on the television shows Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory (2009) and Ridiculousness (2011)

Dana Wilson (born and raised in Aurora) - Studied many forms of dance at Michelle Latimer Dance Academy, and fell particularly hard for contemporary movement, hip hop, and funk styles. Since then, Dana has worked on countless commercials, music videos, award shows, television shows ("So You Think You Can Dance", "Dancing With The Stars", "American Idol", Americas Got Talent", MTV VMAs), and movies (Shrek 4, Charlie Wilson's War, and Camp Rock). Dana also assisted Marty Kudelka, and danced in numerous projects for Justin Timberlake including a world tour (the Future, Sex, Love Show), She worked as the assistant choreographer to two- time Emmy award winner Wade Robson on the Cirque Du Soleil show "Believe". More recently, Dana performed with Florence and the Machine, and Kylie Minogue, and she co-choreographed and danced for Joe Jonas' "Fast Life" tour. Dana is a very diversified dancer. She has lit the stage as a performer, become a passionate choreographer, traveled the world over as an instructor, but above all, she is an admirer and student of movement.

Tia Fuller, alto / soprano saxophonist / flautist 

Sarah Schwabe of the KKTV 11 News Team

Tyne Stecklein  After graduating from High School, Tyne relocated to L.A. to pursue a professional career in dance. In her first year there, she was selected as a dancer for the national "High School Musical Concert Tour" as well as for the South American tour. She was a dancer in the movies, High School Musical II, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Brad Pitt, and Stepbrothers with Will Ferrell

Jennifer "Jennie" Ketcham/ Penny Flame - Former porn actress now blogger

Paul G Tremblay (born in Aurora) - Horror Author.

S Scott Connor - Has his own show in New Mexico.

101st Army Band - Military marching band that trains in Aurora

There are over 300 bands in Aurora on http://www.bandmix.com/colorado/aurora/all/

Know of a famous artist, musician, painter, writer, sculptor, actor, etc. from Aurora, Colorado? Write us at info(at)colfaxavenue.com.