DENVER — After three rounds of voting on a new name for Denver's Stapleton neighborhood, the winning name has been announced: Central Park.
Last week, Central Park and Skyview emerged as finalists from an original list of nine.
There will still be work to do before the name change is finalized. The neighborhood organization that hosted the vote, SUN, must get 100 petition signatures in support of the new name on Saturday.
After that, SUN will host a community vote to adopt the new name on Aug. 31, which would be 30 days after receiving the petition.
In the first round of voting, the choices were:
- Central Park
- Mosley
- Skyview
- Concourse
- Park Central
- Meadowlark
- Randolph
- Tailwinds
- Peterson
The first round eliminated Park Central, Meadowlark, Randolph, Tailwinds and Peterson from the list. The second round eliminated Concourse and Mosley.
The neighborhood was named after former Denver Mayor Benjamin Stapleton, who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Past efforts to change the name were unsuccessful, but the Black Lives Matter movement renewed efforts for a name change.
As for why Central Park and Skyview were in the running, SUN provided background on their website:
Central Park
Central Park is a name well known in the community. It is physically central to the St*pleton area South of I-70. It abuts the iconic tower from the former airport. Denver has numerous neighborhoods named after the parks they surround, plus “Central Park” would evoke the Green Book, which was a foundational document for St*pleton. Finally, the name-change issue has been divisive for our community the last few years. 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.
Skyview
Whether watching fireworks along the Front Range, experiencing a blood moon from the sledding hill, or taking in a sunset or sunrise, viewing the celestial beauty that surrounds us draws us together in awe. In raising our heads up to take in our sky view, we are reminded of the enormousness of the universe and in the words of Carl Sagan, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” For many, it is love of thy neighbor, and the desire for all who live and visit here to feel pride in the community that has brought about the change of name. From earliest days of aviation, the dream was to conquer the sky, extending the boundaries of human endeavor to transcend the adage, ‘the sky’s the limit'. 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. 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.
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