It's a parking lot at the moment, but this summer the University of Denver will break ground on a new residence hall in the heart of campus.
First, though, Dr. Bonnie Clark and her archaeology students got to dig that parking lot up.
"This is a good chance for us to integrate archeological education into the changing of the campus," she said.
Normally, Dr. Clark's students would have to travel to get an experience like this.
"You can't get more hands-on than this kind of learning," she said. "I cannot fake an archaeological site."
Pickaxes pinged away, dirt was sifted and buckets were filled. Every so often the site would buzz with excitement - somebody found something.
Tile from a cellar, a seed from a 1900s garden. The students even found square nails from the late 1880s.
The class had a little help interpreting their finds. Audrey Dorsett, now 92, grew up in a home that once stood where they were digging. She was on-site for the project's last day.
"It was fun to see what they are doing," she said.
Dorsett said she could barely recognize her childhood neighborhood.
"You just kind of lose the feeling of the homeyness of the neighborhood," she said. "It's become more a campus."
Once the residence hall is finished, people will call this spot home again. Dr. Clark hopes to set up an exhibit in the new building to show off what her students found.
