History

The distinctive characteristics of early 20th century parkway planning were underscored because of the adjacent segments to the north and south which date to the mid-20th century. By mid-century more emphasis was placed on the automobile than on pedestrian users. Although the segment to the north, between West 38th Avenue and Montview Boulevard, has the same basic dimensions as the nominated segment, it was installed with Hollywood curbs, an attached sidewalk and there were no street trees. The expanse of lawn and dense, informal clusters of plant material along the median suggest a completely different organizational structure from a different era.

As one travels along Monaco from the north, a noticeable change occurs upon entering the older parkway. Visual and physical differences reveal the importance of parkways to Denver's early city planners. Traditional curbs suggest a clear distinction between the space allotted to pedestrians and the space given to automobiles. The roadway is lined with street trees. Upon reaching full maturity, the trees provide a ceremonial feeling and deeply shaded environment.

The median landscape of Monaco Street Parkway (between Montview Boulevard and East 6th Avenue Parkway) is a tapestry of mini landscapes contained by American Elm along the street. The stately Elm provided symmetry, order, and unity throughout Denver's parkway system.

The street trees were planted as early as 1907 and completed by 1911. The median was planted shortly thereafter under the direction of S.R. DeBoer, the City's Landscape Architect. It is possible that, after the structured planting plans for East 17th Avenue Parkway, DeBoer and his colleagues decided to experiment with the median landscape along Monaco. By providing a variety of sizes, textures and colors, they created a unique, while complex plant palette.

Closer attention to the linear profile or design elevation of the plants reveal interesting rhythms. From the west side of the parkway, two of the median blocks, the 1000th block and the 800th block have a linear profile that is flat. The medians in these blocks are simple, open lawns with only few ornamental specimen trees. The 1200th block, has a consistent, low profile. It is likewise grass with no trees, although islands of shrubs and ornamental trees were planted along the perimeter just inside the street trees. Another block, 8th to Severn Place, has a consistently high profile, as if to counterbalance the block with the low profile. That block was planted with an evergreen forest from one end to the other, providing year round interest.

Three blocks, the 1600th, 1300th and 900th, feature a profile with tall stands of evergreens at mid-block, tapering to the verges with shrubs and ornamentals, revealing a low-high-low progression. Again, as if to contrast, 1400th, 12th to Richthofen, and the 600th, were designated with an opposite, high-low-high profile. Tall evergreens at the end of each block give way to shrubs and ornamental trees in the middle. Two blocks, Severn Place to 7th and the 1500th, were planted with a low-high-low-high-low profile, with tall evergreens at each end and in the middle. The sun spots were filled with shrubs and ornamentals.

Finally, the 1700th and the 1800th blocks, when seen together, present a high-low-high-low-high-low-high pattern, which is a mirror of the last two sets, extended by one high link at each end. Four groups of tall evergreens were evenly spaced along the long axis of the median while only low plants occur in the intervening open meadows.

The design of the parkway changed abruptly at East 6th Avenue Parkway where the right of way narrows to 90 degrees. There is no median there, but a double row of Honeylocusts were planted on both sides of the street. This section illustrates how a boulevard was developed within a narrow right-of-way and without a median strip. The Honeylocusts appear to have been planted within a decade of the Elms. Here, as before, there are no sidewalks or curb cuts within the tree lawn. A disruption of street tree rhythm occurs farther south, where several parking bays have been cut into the tree lawn.

Historical Evolution

The evolution of Monaco has generally intensified the forms and height profiles. Ninety year old Spruce have become towering trees. When evergreens were planted, they provided visual breaks at the ground level. Today, the limbing up of lower branches has become a common practice because of safety issues and visibility to the parkway.