The City Beautiful

The City Beautiful. Lower Downtown Historic District. , Denver's municipal facts book of 1909 states "Denver is known in every civilized country as the 'City of Lights.'" Electric light bulbs were considered a miraculous new invention and Denver took full advantage of the ease and elegance these lights gave to city streets. , The city streets were first lit in 1907. Three years later, Henry Read, President of the Art Commission, designed lights for 15th, 16th, and 17th Streets. The lights were lit from dusk until 10 o'clock P.M., enhancing Denver's growing nighttime entertainment. , The artistic cast iron lights with hand-forged filigree were the inspiration for the current street lighting. Originally designed to carry overhead electric wires, the stout poles served as supports for electric trolley car cables. , The Welcome Arch at Union Station was another mark of the City Beautiful Movement. Built in 1906 at a cost of $25,000, the 70 ton bronzed steel arch was 65' high by 85' wide. Spanning 17th Street with 2,194 light bulbs, the arch originally carried the word "Welcome" on both sides. In 1908, the east side was changed to read "Mizpah." Although many joked that this was the American Indian word for "Howdy," "Mizpah" was actually a common parting salutation from the Hebrew language. , The arch was torn down for scrap metal in 1931 due to the high cost of its lighting and the problems it caused for automobile traffic. Today Lower Downtown commemorates the arch by inscribing the word "Mizpah" in its gateways.