Posted May 7, 2026
Denver City Council President and District 1 Councilmember Amanda P. Sandoval, Denver Parks and Recreation, community leaders and neighbors gathered Friday to celebrate the reopening of La Raza Park, marking the completion of the $2 million renovation. The celebration honored the park’s historic cultural legacy and the fight to secure long-anticipated improvements for the community.
“La Raza Park is and has always been a place of culture, connection, pride and community voice,” said Council President Sandoval. “Today, we celebrate not just the improvements but the generations of elders, neighbors, family and friends who fought to protect this space and ensure it continues to serve as a source of pride and belonging.”
“La Raza Park is an incredible example of what community can accomplish,” said Mayor Mike Johnston. “These improvements are long-awaited and much deserved, and we are committed to ensuring neighborhoods across the city receive the same access to beautiful spaces like this one.”
Located at West 39th Avenue and Navajo Street, La Raza Park has long served as a gathering place for Denver’s Chicano and Latino communities, hosting cultural celebrations, community events and civil rights activism for generations. Its legacy is deeply rooted in the Chicano movement in Denver and in the work of leaders such as Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, reflecting a rich tradition of organizing, cultural expression and identity. Designated as one of Denver’s historic cultural districts in 2023, the park’s evolution reflects years of sustained advocacy and collaboration.
“La Raza Park carries generations of memory,” said the La Raza Community Advisory Group, which played a crucial role in advocating for and planning the park’s renovation. “The park represents the culture, the gatherings and the moments when this community had to stand its ground and fight to be recognized. We take pride in honoring the elders who fought to protect this space and ensure it remained a place for our community. This is about honoring that history, embracing the present and making sure the next seven generations understand what it took to carry this legacy forward. From this moment forward, the next generations should feel this is their park, a space they can claim, build on and carry with pride.”
The completed improvements feature an upgraded playground and basketball court, enhanced lighting, accessible pathways, improved picnic and gathering spaces and renewed landscaping with Colorado-native plants. Beyond these site upgrades, the project prioritized the preservation of La Raza Park’s cultural legacy, including the Plaza de la Raza, the “La Raza Unida” sculpture and the park’s historic Kiosko.
“This project shows what’s possible when we listen to community and invest in what matters most,” said Jolon Clark, executive director of Denver Parks and Recreation. “We’re proud to complete improvements that make La Raza Park better suited for gathering, play and connection while honoring the cultural features, memories and history that make this park so important.”
The project was funded through the Elevate and RISE Denver general obligation bond programs, with additional funding from Denver Parks and Recreation’s Capital Fund and DPR Legacy Fund, to bring the community’s vision to life. A $100,000 contribution from The Denver Foundation supported the landscape transformation along 38th Avenue and additional plantings throughout the park.
The celebration included a traditional blessing led by Grupo Tlaloc, remarks from community leaders and a ceremonial ribbon cutting, followed by a community celebration featuring live mariachi music from a community children’s group.
