When the Democrats arrived in Denver on July 7, 1908, for their 20th national convention, they brought a familiar party platform. The topics up for debate: recession, immigration, national debt, campaign finance reform and the failing stock market. Throw in a controversial war and universal health care, and the only thing that separates 1908 from 2008 is a hundred years. (Well, that and $80 million.) As Denver plans to host the 45th Democratic National Convention, we take a look back at Robert Speer’s “City Beautiful,” and the city that has grown to be a mile high above the rest.

Capitol Building
As workers laid the final pieces of 24-karat gold leaf on Denver’s famous gilded Capitol building, Democrats from across the nation made their way to our budding city for its inaugural hosting of the DNC. One hundred years ago, Denverites and city officials let out a collective sigh of relief at the completion of this maligned building. It was the happy conclusion to a tedious struggle that encompassed everything from court cases to financial scandals and even a tragic death.

Decisions were being made about the statehouse before Colorado was even a state. In 1866, assemblies were held to decide the location for Colorado’s legislature. The early frustration of finding a proper piece of land for the Capitol building was quelled quickly. Wealthy real estate tycoon Henry C. Brown (who would later fund the Brown Palace) offered a sloping hillside of 10 acres at the corner of East Colfax Avenue and Lincoln Street. Unfortunately, the easily obtained land would be the only effortless aspect of the building’s construction. Lacking funding, organization and any sort of luck, the building would require two architects, two contractors, three building superintendents and another 41 years to complete.

In spite of the numerous setbacks, the building was eventually finished and, in 1908, Democrat David H. Waite proudly welcomed the Democratic National Convention from the executive office of the new Capitol. Gov. Bill Ritter now occupies that same office, awaiting the return of the donkey party to the Mile High City, but looks out his window to a Capitol Hill that has become a cultural mecca for music, art, shopping and food. The area houses a funky mixture of politically active urbanites, free-spirited bohemians and acts as the epicenter for Denver’s punk and gay communities. Protesters, a common lawn accessory for the Capitol, often gather en masse. One such group, Re-create 68, is sure to be one of many in front of the oval dome picketing their political grievances. — Lauren Harvey

The Denver Auditorium/Ellie Caulkins Opera House
The Ellie Caulkins Opera House, home to both the Colorado Ballet and Opera Colorado, is a vision with its décor of warm woods, convex walls and intimate 2,225-seat theatre. Completed in September 2005 after a $92 million renovation, the building on the corner of 14th and Curtis streets as the esteemed venue within the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The modern, state-of-art facility features some of the world’s best opera talent, heightening Denver’s cultural scene.

Nearly 100 years before the opening of the Ellie, Denver was buzzing with excitement about the same building. Originally built to host the 1908 Democratic Convention, the Denver Municipal Auditorium welcomed 14,000 delegates who nominated William Jennings Bryan their presidential candidate. Bryan lost in the election to William Howard Taft. The building thrived, enabling Denver to support a variety of events and talent. For the next 92 years the Auditorium served as home to the Denver Nuggets, trade shows, circuses, concerts, rodeos, automobile shows, boxing and wrestling matches, and even functioned as an opera house.

The Auditorium is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and its shell remains intact, but the interior was gutted for remodeling in the spring of 2003 to create a modern home for Denver’s opera and theatrical talent. With the 2008 Democratic convention just weeks away, Denverites and tourists still can appreciate the historic exterior of the Auditorium that first put the city on the political map. And with the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, the celebrated building will continue to serve its city by attracting world-class artists. — Katie Sturges

Elitch Gardens
In 1908, Elitch Zoological Gardens was hammering out its 19th summer of amusement park activities. It also hosted the welcome wagon event for all the journalists who covered the DNC. Elitch Gardens opened in 1891, was originally located at West 38th Avenue and Tennyson Street and featured an arched entrance with posed statues. The location boasted a theater, verdant gardens, a carousel and an old-school figure 8 roller coaster. When media guests arrived, George Ade’s Americana comedy, “The County Chairman” was on stage. Children’s activities were held once a week, flooding the park with ankle biters. The citys league baseball team played on its grounds, while a café served lunch and dinner to the crowds. Friday afternoons were reserved for symphony concerts, which became the signature summer activity at the park. The zoo closed in the 1930s. In 1994, Elitch Gardens moved to its current downtown location. On Aug. 23, the park will kick off the DNC madness with the invitation-only 2008 Media Welcome Party, complete with food and all the Coors beer you can drink. More than 15,000 journalists will descend to provide four days of non-stop media coverage. Management hopes to make it a green event, and while attendees no longer will enjoy afternoon orchestra performances, this evening affair will host local music and entertainment acts to showcase Denver talent. — Anne Vickman

Welcome Arch
Located outside the entrance to Union Station, high above what is now 17th and Wynkoop streets, stood the 70-ton bronze-coated steel Denver Welcome Arch. Illuminated by 2,194 light bulbs, the $22,500 monument was dedicated on July 4, 1906 by Mayor Robert Speer who told ceremony attendees the arch was “to stand here as an expression of love, good wishes and kind feelings of our citizens to the stranger who enters our gates.” It was the first thing visitors would see upon entering The City Beautiful and would cost $75 a week ($9,000 annually) in utility bills.

However, when the arch was built, the word “welcome” was etched on both sides of the structure, “welcoming” visitors to leave as they headed with their luggage toward Union Station. Before the 1908 convention, the city Chamber, upon realizing the 65-foot-high error above Denver’s busiest street, changed the downtown side of the arch to read “Mizpah” to avoid national embarrassment. The Hebrew parting salutation from Genesis was misunderstood by most Denverites who simply told visitors it was an Indian word for “Howdy, pardner.”

Contrary to Speer’s hopes that the arch would span generations, the gateway lasted only a quarter of a century before it had worn its welcome. Early in 1930, city building inspectors considered the arch unsafe and recommended repairs that would cost the city more than $10,000. Deep in the throes of a Depression, officials labeled the arch a traffic hazard and reduced it to scrap metal on Dec. 7, 1931. Today, a single American flag stands at the entrance to Union Station, a subtle reminder of one of Denver’s most notable structures. In commemoration, Lower Downtown engraves the word “Mitzpah” in its gateways. — Brian Melton

Market Street (between 19th and 23rd Streets)

It’s a Saturday afternoon in August and the Colorado Rockies are playing a home game against the San Diego Padres. The streets around Coors Field are filled with meandering baseball fans looking for beer to kill the time before first pitch. Those headed to the ballpark to experience the American pastime know little about the sordid history surrounding Colorado’s $215 million facility.

One hundred years ago, Market and Blake streets were filled with a different kind of clientele. Sandwiched between 19th and 23rd was Denver’s brothel district, a seedy and often dangerous part of town known for the world’s oldest profession. Through word of mouth, many male visitors to Denver for the 1908 Convention certainly knew about the boarding houses throughout the mud-lined blocks of the district. Those who didn’t would be referred to the Denver Red Book, a pocket sized listing guidebook to the city’s prostitution. With more than 1,100 ladies and seven opium dens, delegates to the Mile High City had many options.

Mattie’s House of Mirrors, the last bastion of Denver’s red-light-district still stands today at 1946 Market Street, adjacent to LoDo’s Bar and Grill. Originally built by Jennie Rogers, the two-story parlor was purchased by the queen of the Denver brothel circuit, Mattie Silks, after Rogers died in 1909. Silks’ establishments were considered to be some of the highest-class parlors in the city, a place where a respectable man could have a fine meal and his lady of choice. However, many of the brothels, also known as cribs, maintained much lower standards, and the women, often opium-addicted and desperate, were not above murdering their clients for money.

Denver police began performing raids on the brothels in 1913 and many parlor madams, including Mattie, were forced to close. Mattie tried to transform her enterprise into a respectable hotel, but her reputation preceded her. Silks, who was living in poverty, sold the property in 1919 to the Rev. Tesshye Ono who turned it into a Buddhist temple. The house, which today is used primarily for banquets, is considered to be one of the most haunted commercial establishments in the country. — Brian Melton