The museum will celebrate underrepresented stories including stories of the  site of Colorado’s first gold discovery by Mexican settlers, the once-independent Town of South Denver (1886–1894), streetcars and horsecars, Gates Rubber Company, LGBTQ+ activists, and African-American baseball teams, Native ceremonial lands, and more. These stories will bring forward a rich and diverse local narrative that is often overlooked in broader Denver history. It will foster neighborhood pride, deepen residents’ sense of place, and create a shared space for education, storytelling, and intergenerational connection.  Educational programming, research resources will invite schools, families, and curious neighbors to engage directly with the area’s past, encouraging stewardship, preservation, and civic participation.

South Denver is currently a cultural “museum desert.” There are no museums between 3rd Avenue and Dartmouth, or from the foothills of the Rockies to the plains of eastern Denver. As a new tourist destination, the museum will help attract visitors and foot traffic to nearby local businesses on South Broadway which will help support economic activity.  With its prominent location near the new National Women’s Soccer League stadium and broader redevelopment efforts in the area, the timing could not be more ideal. The museum site is also just steps from RTD’s Broadway Station and adjacent to the historic Gates Rubber Company site.

This vision is being led by residents who have long advocated for the preservation and celebration of South Denver’s rich and often overlooked history. When one neighbor learned of a long-vacant, yet highly admired home at 749 S. Lincoln Street was at risk of demolition due to the City of Denver’s derelict home initiative, one neighbor reached out to the out-of-state owner with a bold question: “Would you ever consider donating your house to become a museum?”  To her surprise, the owner’s answer was “Yes”.

The museum is working diligently with the owner on an agreement and this should come about by the end of 2025.