DENVER — Stapleton United Neighbors (SUN) has named four finalists as voting to rename the northeast Denver neighborhood continues.
Those four finalists are:
- Central Park
- Mosley
- Skyview
- Concourse
Stapleton's namesake is a former Denver mayor who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. The neighborhood has put the decision to change the name to a vote in the past, but it has failed. Last month’s Black Lives Matter protests renewed the efforts for a name change.
> Video above: A look at the nine name finalists.
Five names from the original list of nine were removed after the first round of voting:
- Park Central
- Meadowlark
- Randolph
- Tailwinds
- Peterson
Voting in Round 2 will be open from Monday, July 20 to Friday, July 24. at 2 p.m. Participants can vote for their top three choices. More information on the voting process can be found here. Only people who either own or rent a home in Stapleton can vote.
Members of an advisory board came up with the original list of nine finalists after receiving 331 names for the community.
Here's a look at what's behind the four finalist names:
Central Park
The name Central Park was chosen as a finalist because it is home to Denver’s Central Park, and many neighborhoods in the city are named after parks within their boundaries.
“… the name-change has been divisive for our community the last few years,” the SUN website says. “It has sometimes brought out the best and worst in us and created tensions among neighbors.
“Central Park would be non-controversial, natural and drama-less, which is what our community could use right now.”
Mosley
This name honors the Mosley family. John Mosley was a Tuskagee Airman during World War II, according to SUN, and he also helped draft policies to racially integrate the U.S. Air Force.
He and his wife Edna Wilson-Mosley were civil rights advocates who broke the color barrier by moving to a neighborhood adjacent to Stapleton.
Wilson-Mosley was also the co-fonder of the Colorado Women’s Bank and the first at-large city councilperson of color in Aurora. Their daughter was a flight attendant for United, and other members of the family have also pursued careers in aviation – which honors the history of the Stapleton Airport, which once occupied the space where the neighborhood now stands.
“[The Mosley name] is aviation-related, historically significant, geographically connected to the current area, business friendly and inspirational,” the SUN website reads. “… Mosley would be an inexpensive and business-friendly replacement for Stapleton, easy for new logos and signage, and naturally pronounceable.”
Skyview
This name was chosen because of the Front Range’s skies as well as the neighborhood’s history in aviation.
“Bringing together the nostalgia of historical air travel and aspirations of those early aviators can give us a name that aspires to give voice to values like diversity, sustainability and access,” the SUN website says. “It is fitting to have a name that directs our thoughts upward to what can be. Through the name Skyview, may we feel a connection to each other and all of humanity.
“When we look at the sky, may we find the inspiration for the work that continues on the ground to make the future easier and brighter for each of us now, and for the next generation.”
Concourse
While partially inspired by its association with airports, SUN said the word’s meaning transcends that.
“We also have the opportunity to reinvent the word as people use it and describe and transcend our neighborhood into a ‘coming together of people, where paths meet and rebuild back to what was intended in the green book,’” the SUN website reads.
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