A more than century-old red/brown brick garage in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood may be on its way to becoming an official city historic landmark and perhaps saved from future demolition.
Located at 2106 California Street, what is known as the California Street Federal Garage was built in 1925 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and for decades housed part of the city’s bus fleet.
In 1947 a second structure called the Welton Street Federal Garage, and built in the same design style, was constructed to serve the same purpose.
According to city documents, two structures are historically significant because they represent a “key shift in transportation patterns in Denver,” reflecting how public transportation evolved through the years and “showing how Denver residents moved throughout the region.”
If both structures are designed as official city landmarks, they would not only be preserved but perhaps repurposed for another use.
City documents note that the architectural design of the structures is distinguished by “low-pitch clay tile roofs; round arches at entries and windows; towers, arcades, balconies, and terraces.”
Eventually purchased, in the late 1960s, by the federal government and since used for a variety of purposes, the structures earlier this year were deemed as surplus property by the federal General Services Administration, allowing for the buildings to be put on the open market.
A subcommittee of the Denver City Council has voted in favor of designating the structures as official landmarks, with a vote by the full council expected shortly.
June 8, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of City of Denver
