City and County of Denver Government history

Several months after the formation of the Colorado Territory, in November 1861, the city was incorporated.

Established in 1871 by German immigrant Otto P. Baur, the company quickly emerged as an innovative and successful purveyor of candies, cakes, and other confectionery items.

During his time in office, the growing city reached a population of 35,628 people, according to the 1880 census.

After his first term, Mayor Bates was elected again in 1885.

Dedicated to serving the Denver community, Platt Rogers took office as Denver’s Mayor in 1891.

Denver's first boom came to an end due to the depression of 1893, and the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act that was an attempt by President Benjamin Harrison to close the gap between the value of silver and gold.

The Denver Livestock Exchange and the National Western Stock Show anchored the city as the "cow town of the Rockies." Growth began to pick up slowly after 1900 as stockyards, brickyards, canneries, flour mills, leather, and rubber goods contributed to the city's improving economy.

A 1902 constitutional amendment established Denver as a city and county.

Robert Speer served as the Mayor of Denver for three terms, with his first election in 1904.

Designed by Montana Fallis and John Stein, the building was constructed in 1907 by the Dome Investment Co. for Claude Boettcher in order to promote the capabilities of his Colorado Portland Cement Company.

In 1908, Denver, nicknamed the “Queen City of the Plains”, hosted the Democratic National Convention in what is today’s Denver Performing Arts Complex.

The 1910 ten-story Sullivanesque style building was designed by prominent Denver architect Harry W.J. Edbrooke for the Denver Gas and Electric Company, reportedly as a promotional tool.

Constructed in 1911, the twelve-story office building was designed by noted Denver architects William E. and Arthur A. Fisher.

Running as the reform candidate, Henry J. Arnold defeated the Speer-Evans ticket in 1912 to become the Mayor of the city of Denver.

Educated in Denver public schools and a graduate of the University of Denver, Doctor William H. Sharpley served in numerous public offices before he was elected Mayor in 1915.

Constructed in 1917 to expand the retail space for the A.T. Lewis & Son Dry Goods Company, the six-story annex makes extensive use of sculptural terra cotta ornamentation reminiscent of the work of Chicago architect Louis Sullivan.

Ill with pneumonia, Speer was the first Mayor to die while serving in office in the middle of his seventh term in 1918.

Dedicated to his community, Kentucky-native Benjamin F. Stapleton was first elected Mayor of Denver in 1923.

The 1925 building was the headquarters of Midland Savings and Loan.

The 1929 building, designed by Denver architect Montana Fallis, is one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in Colorado.

Additionally, Mayor Newton created the Mayor’s Committee on Human Relations in 1948.

Especially vexed by the funding cut for highways, the primary means of evacuation, he wrote President Eisenhower on August 17th, 1959 in protest.

Mayor Batterton opened the door to international partnerships with Japan, as he signed the Sister-City Proclamation in July of 1960.

Son of a former Denver City Auditor and brother of a former Governor of Colorado, William H. McNichols, Jr. continued the political line as he was elected Mayor of Denver in 1968.

The project was completed in 1969 and named after his grandfather, Martin D. Currigan.

The historical context extends from that year to 1973, when events impacting the local economy resulted in a new era of development.

Historic Denver remembered Places of historic interest include the Colorado History Museum, which was built in 1977.

Denver’s first Latino mayor, Frederico Pena, was sworn into office in 1983.

The Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, completed in 2002, was named in honor of this former Mayor.

The Museum of Nature and Science opened in 2003, and includes the Gates Planetarium, which has one of the most technologically advanced, immersive digital theaters of its kind in the world.

In 2005, Denver became the first major city in America to make the private use of less than one ounce of marijuana legal for adults 21 and older.

Mayor Hickenlooper was instrumental in bringing the Democratic National Convention back to Denver in 2008, the hundredth anniversary of this event’s first Denver appearance.