DENVER — The Colorado Veterans Monument has stood in downtown Denver since Veterans Day 1990.
The red sandstone obelisk can be found in Lincoln Park, a green space owned by the state of Colorado that sits across the street from the capitol building on one side, Civic Center Park on another side, and a vacant lot on yet another side.
That lot is the very space the National Medal of Honor Foundation wanted for a new park if organizers brought their new Medal of Honor Museum to Denver. They hoped this park would serve as a grand entrance to the museum, which would be constructed kitty-corner to Lincoln Park at Lincoln Street and Colfax Avenue.
Can you picture it? Maybe this map helps.
But earlier this week, seven Regional Transportation District (RTD) directors voted against converting the lot, which they lease, into the suggested park.
One of them was Natalie Menten.
“But the fact is there’s a park that’s right across the street that is dedicated to veterans. It is four to five times the size of our dirt lot covered by gravel. And there’s already a Congressional Medal of Honor statue there honoring Joe P. Martinez. That, I think, is a very suitable location for what the museum is desiring,” Menten said in an interview with Next with Kyle Clark.
Private Martinez was Colorado’s first Congressional Medal of Honor recipient of World War II. He entered the service in Ault and received the honor posthumously for his heroic actions during the war. He inspired other troops to advance on enemy soldiers while under heavy fire on snow-covered mountains in May 1943.
The monument and bronze statue honoring Martinez are joined in the park by a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell and a dedication to volunteers of the Spanish American War.
“I want to know if they know this park really exists across the street with a Congressional Medal of Honor [recipient],” Menten said. “I feel very confident what’s in the best interest of everyone is to use an existing beautiful resource 100 feet away.”
Pressure to reconsider the vote is coming from multiple sources, according to Menten, who feels many of these organizations aren’t aware of the tributes to veterans that exist there.
“My hope for the future is that the National Medal of Honor Museum is built and located across from the state capitol and the Colorado Veterans Monument,” said Tim Drago, who served in Vietnam and helped establish the monument.
“Building the monument made my day. Having that across the street would even add more emphasis to it, and that would really be great. It really would.”
The monument, he said, was built for Colorado’s veterans of the past, present and future.
It’s the reason Menten wants to consider using this park as an alternative.
“In no way do we oppose the museum, but this park, for me, makes logical sense. [It’s] the best use of resources when everyone’s resources are limited,” she said.
Menten said her dissenting vote was cast, too, in order to look out for the interests of RTD.
“We are a transportation agency and we are tasked with transportation, providing it to the citizens of Denver. And I think you well know we already have our challenges in just providing transportation. That should be our focus,” she said in her interview.
Giving up the property now would mean RTD couldn’t use the land for a transit purpose in the future, she said. Menten suggested it could be used for future bus lines, for renting to ride-share companies or as a parking lot for autonomous cars, if the day comes that RTD adds them to their fleet.
Denver is one of two finalist cities considered for the museum. The other is Arlington, Texas.
WATCH: A look at the Colorado Veterans Monument
