P. T. Barnum
The
Barnum neighborhood, annexed to the city in September 1896,
stretches from West 6th
Avenue to
Alameda Avenue
and from
Federal Boulevard
to
Sheridan
Boulevard .
Yes the area is named after P. T. Barnum of the Barnum and
Bailey Circus. He purchased 760 acres in 1882 as an
off-season winter respite for his show, and originally named
many of the streets in the area after famous people. Several
historic buildings remain, such as the 1910 Bowman house
at King
Street and West Fourth Avenue
, and the 1890s
retail building at West First Avenue
and
Hooker
Street .
Phineas Taylor Barnum is most closely associated
with the circus, yet in his later years, after he returned to
live in his native Connecticut , Barnum entered politics, served on
the boards of a variety of Bridgeport institutions, and became the city’s
mayor. His many civic improvements included the donation of
land for a public park and endowments to the city’s
hospital, Universalist Church , public library, and orphanage. When
Barnum died in 1891 at the age of 81, the city mourned. Flags
flew at half-mast, and thousands attended his funeral. The
city erected a bronze statue of the showman two years later,
and his influence upon Bridgeport can still be seen today, with street
after street named for members of his
family
(The above information was taken from several
sites on the Internet.)
You
can look over Down Town Denver and see how many of the
building you can name. There is a “Denver Dog Park ” here, so your ‘best friend’ could
spend a few minutes playing.
The best time might be during the
week and early in the morning. Many Mugglers in this
area.