Press Releases Archives - Civic Center Park

Civic Center EATS Lineup Revealed for 2024

Carlie McGuire — Wed, 01 May 2024 17:41:51 +0000

Grab lunch and support the community with Civic Center EATS, returning to Civic Center Park on May 8. Trucks will be in the park from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays during three seasons through October 16, allowing even more trucks to participate. Across the three seasons, Civic Center EATS will feature more than 45 of Denver’s finest food trucks, offering a diverse range of culinary delights, including delicious entrees from around the world, thirst-quenching beverages, and decadent desserts.

“We’re thrilled to welcome EATS back to Civic Center Park,” said Eric Lazzari, executive director of Civic Center Conservancy. “EATS is more than just food trucks; it’s a platform for creating good in the community. It brings people together while supporting local entrepreneurs, youth artists, youth workforce, sustainability, and a vibrant downtown.”

Civic Center EATS also marks the return of the Civic Center Youth WORKS program, sponsored by Bank of America for the second year in a row, which gives young people the opportunity to receive hands-on workforce experience with event logistics and production. Civic Center Conservancy partners with participants from the Youth Employment Academy, who set up, tear down, perform custodial work, and welcome food enthusiasts. Additionally, Youth on Record will be responsible for booking, producing, and performing live entertainment throughout the duration of Civic Center EATS.

“We applaud the Civic Center Conservancy for all of the ways it supports Denver communities,” said Raju Patel, Bank of America Colorado President. “The workforce program is an important initiative that helps young adults build self-confidence and gain professional experience.”

EATS for All, the Conservancy’s food access program, will return for its third year. This program has historically provided 1,000 meals a year to those who need them most. The Conservancy will work with Bayaud Enterprises, Denver Public Library, the Gathering Place, Park Rangers, WellPower, and Youth Employment Academy to distribute vouchers for meals at EATS to our neighbors in need.

**NOTE: No EATS on May 29-30 and June 5-6

Spring Season

May 8, 2024– June 26, 2024

Wednesday

Thursday

Astro Coffee Van

Bandwagon Sandwich Co

Big Belly Brothers BBQ

Cachai Chilean Food

Cheese Love Grill

Crêpes de Soissons

Curbside Kitchen Ltd

D’Toque Salvadoran Food

HipPOPs Handcrafted Gelato Bars

Saucy Chops 5280

Shawarma Station

Tacos with Altitude

The Gyros King Food Truck

The Rice Guy

Uptown & Humboldt

Arepas House

Areyto Puerto Rican Food

Big Bear Cheesesteaks

Cazuelas

Chuey FU’s Latin Asian Grub

Dude Bro Taco

Flippin Birdz Food Truck

Fritay Haitian Cuisine

Heckin’ Good Bubble Tea

KOCO STREET FOOD

OG Burgers

Original By Greeks

Still Smokin BBQ Joint

Sweet Action

The Helping Hen

The Savage Beet

*Truck lineups are subject to change

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Civic Center Conservancy Launches Fundraising Campaign to Plant and Maintain Civic Center Park’s Flowers Amid Budget Challenges

Carlie McGuire — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 16:04:15 +0000

Despite the challenges presented by the City of Denver’s 2024 budget reductions, Civic Center Conservancy will move forward with planting and maintaining flower beds in Civic Center Park this summer, with the support of the community.

“Our work as an organization has always been to create a beautiful, welcoming space in the heart of Denver,” said Eric Lazzari, executive director of Civic Center Conservancy. “Maintaining the flower beds in Civic Center Park is not just about aesthetics — it’s about safety and belonging. We’re committed to shouldering the financial burden of upkeep for the park’s flowers this summer with the help of our community.”

Civic Center Conservancy is inviting the community to help champion this iconic space by donating or volunteering their time with a day in the dirt. It hopes to raise $25,000 to help cover additional costs of this stewardship throughout the summer. It will also offer volunteer opportunities through its Civic Center SPARKLES volunteer program for community members who want to help.“We know that efforts like this aren’t an option for all of Denver’s parks. The only reason this is possible in Civic Center is because Civic Center has a nonprofit dedicated to helping meet its needs and because of our longstanding unique partnership with the Denver Parks and Recreation ,” said Lazzari.
Civic Center Conservancy, in partnership with the Denver Parks and Recreation, has made tremendous strides to improve the park experience over the past few years and wants to continue the sense of safety achieved through a well-kept park.

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Studio Gang Design Firm Chosen for the First Phase of Implementation of Civic Center Next 100

Gail Bransteitter — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Selection marks a significant milestone in the transformation of Civic Center Park and revitalization of downtown Denver

DENVER, Oct. 30, 2023 – The City and County of Denver and Civic Center Conservancy are pleased to announce the selection of Studio Gang, a world-renowned architecture and urban design firm, led by Jeanne Gang, to lead the Phase 1 Implementation of Civic Center Next 100 which includes improvements to the Greek Theater and Central Promenade. Denver awarded Studio Gang a $2.8M design contract following a competitive process and evaluation of proposals submitted by shortlisted firms earlier this year; the contract received Denver City Council approval this evening.

Located at the heart of the downtown, Civic Center has served as Denver’s most significant gathering spot for cultural events, festivals, and First Amendment rallies for over 100 years. Civic Center Next 100 is a concept plan that plans a series of improvements to elevate the park for the next 100 years with new energy for the Denver of today and the generations to come.

“From championship celebrations to holiday events and concerts, Civic Center Park has been a crown jewel for our community for many years,” Mayor Mike Johnston said, “The Civic Center Next 100 project and partnership with Studio Gang is a significant milestone that will spark new activity to downtown and prepare Civic Center Park for the next 100 years.”

Studio Gang was chosen based on their project approach, which is rooted in a community-centered process, and both respects the historic aspects of the park while bringing innovative architectural design. With a diverse portfolio that includes performing arts spaces like Writers Theatre in Glencoe, IL and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in Garrison, NY, major additions to cultural institutions like the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, as well as transformative public projects like Tom Lee Park in Memphis TN, and the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, IL, Studio Gang brings a wealth of experience in reimagining civic and cultural spaces. Studio Gang also designed Populus, a new hotel currently under construction at 14th Street and Court Place that shows the firm’s emphasis on creating connections between people and nature with its eye-catching design informed by the pattern of Aspen trees.

“We are looking forward to working closely with the city, the conservancy, and the communities of Denver on the design for Civic Center that extends its democratic legacy and invites everyone to come together around performance,” said Jeanne Gang, founding principal and partner of Studio Gang. “It is also a perfect moment to make the park’s ecology resilient for its next 100 years of life.”

“Civic Center Park has played a significant role in Denver’s cultural history for over a century,” said Eric Lazzari, Executive Director of Civic Center Conservancy. “With Studio Gang’s visionary approach and the valuable input from our community, we can elevate this historic space, and ensure that it is a vibrant, accessible, and inclusive space for generations to come.”

The Civic Center Next 100 plan, funded in part by the voter approved Elevate Denver Bond Program, was created with insight provided by public feedback collected through extensive community and stakeholder engagement. The Concept Design includes improvements to four key areas within the park including, the Greek Theater, Central Promenade, Central Gathering Space, and Bannock Street between Colfax Avenue and 14th Avenue.

In 2020, Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) permanently closed Bannock Street to vehicle traffic and reopened the stretch to the public with the installation of a colorful street mural. Bannock Street is now being created into a vibrant public space and extension of Civic Center Park managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR).

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation recently named DPR as a recipient of a $2.3 million grant to support The Monuments Project and improvements to the Greek Theater and South Plaza area. DPR was also awarded $750,000 from the National Park Service to rehabilitate the Central Promenade as part of the Phase 1 Implementation of the Civic Center Next 100 project.

The Civic Center Next 100 project is supported by DPR funding, Elevate Denver Bond, grant funding and donations from the Civic Center Conservancy.

For more information about Civic Center Park Next 100, please visit www.denvergov.org/theoutdoordowntown

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Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, through its employees, enhances the quality of life in Denver by safely and efficiently delivering effective, high quality, sustainable and equitable public infrastructure and services.

Denver Parks & Recreation
As stewards of a legacy park system, Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) is dedicated to customer service and enhancing the health of residents and the environment through innovative programs and safe, beautiful, and sustainable places. The DPR system includes 30 recreation centers and over 20,000 acres of urban and mountain parkland including off-street trails, parkways, and natural areas. For more information, visit www.denvergov.org/parksandrecreation, check us out on YouTube, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Civic Center Conservancy
Civic Center Conservancy is an independent nonprofit dedicated to keeping Denver’s Civic Center Park active and thriving for all. The Conservancy attracts people to the park, supports the park’s upkeep and ensures it meets the needs of anyone who gathers there for today and for the future. Learn more about our work, support our mission and explore our calendar of events at www.civiccenterpark.org.

Studio Gang
Founded and led by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang is an architecture and urban design practice headquartered in Chicago with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Paris. Driven by an ethos of “actionable idealism”, the Studio uses an iterative, research-based design process to create places that build stronger relationships among people, communities, and the natural world. Studio Gang’s diverse portfolio includes the recently completed Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History and a new United States Embassy in Brasília. Regularly named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Architecture Companies, Studio Gang has been internationally honored, published, and exhibited.

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Civic Center Conservancy partners with youth-serving organizations to expand workforce development opportunities

Gail Bransteitter — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 21:44:00 +0000

Funded by Bank of America, the extension of the Civic Center WORKS program provides youth ages 16 – 24 with job training and skill-building through seasonal summer employment.

Thanks to the generous support of Bank of America, Civic Center Conservancy has expanded Civic Center WORKS, a workforce development program, to provide teens and young adults ages 16 to 24 with summer employment opportunities and training. This expansion includes collaboration with Urban Peak and the Youth Employment Academy to employ youth in event operations positions as well as Youth on Record to support the production of live entertainment during Civic Center EATS events throughout the summer.

“This is an exciting collective social impact partnership with Bank of America, Urban Peak, Youth Employment Academy and Youth on Record to meet the needs of the park while also providing job skills and training opportunities to community members,” said Eric Lazzari, executive director of Civic Center Conservancy. “Civic Center’s WORKS program is a key part of ensuring that Civic Center Park is an active and thriving place for all.”

Civic Center WORKS launched in April 2022 in partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation and Bayaud Enterprises Denver Day Works Program to keep the park active, clean and thriving. Civic Center WORKS is a supplemental maintenance and workforce development program that supports individuals transitioning out of homelessness. The expansion of Civic Center WORKS connects teens and young adults with seasonal positions to support weekly Civic Center EATS events throughout the summer.

“With support from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s Summer Youth Employment initiative, we are very pleased to once more contribute to local partnerships like this summer’s youth employment program coordinated by the Civic Center Conservancy, Urban Peak, Youth Employment Academy and Youth on Record,” said Raju Patel, President, Bank of America Colorado. “Programs like this help young adults from all backgrounds gain early work experience that will put them on a path to economic stability and success.”

Urban Peak provides a full convergence of services solely focused on one of the most vulnerable populations – teens and young adults who are experiencing homelessness. This partnership will support Urban Peak’s Job Readiness Training by providing unhoused youth with positions working with the event operations team with Aramark to assist with the set-up, custodial, and tear-down of Civic Center EATS.

The Youth Employment Academy, established by Denver Housing Authority, helps young adults break the cycle of generational poverty in Denver communities by gaining personal and economic stability through education, arts and technology, and employment training. Program participants will also work in the event operations area supporting Civic Center EATS.

Youth on Record empowers Colorado’s underserved youth to achieve their academic, artistic and personal best by employing local, professional artists as their educators. This collaboration allows Youth on Record participants to have the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the creative industries. Under the guidance of Youth on Record industry professionals, youth book talent, support live sound production, perform and train in day-of management for Civic Center EATS.

In addition to employment, participants receive job skills, training and access to other resources like financial literacy programs and mentorship. Additionally, the program is exploring opportunities for participants to enter a pipeline for permanent employment.

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About Civic Center Conservancy

Civic Center Conservancy is an independent nonprofit dedicated to keeping Denver’s Civic Center Park active and thriving for all. The Conservancy attracts people to the park, supports the park’s upkeep and ensures it meets the needs of anyone who gathers there for today and for the future. Learn more about our work, support our mission and explore our calendar of events at www.civiccenterpark.org.

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