Welton Street, where you are walking, was once the main artery of Black Denver's cultural life, the corridor of clubs, theaters, restaurants, and barbershops that made Five Points the jazz capital of the American West. The Rossonian Hotel at 2650 Welton was the anchor of the scene: built in 1912, it became the premier hotel for Black travelers and performers turned away from downtown establishments, and its lounge hosted virtually every major jazz and blues artist of the mid-twentieth century. Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan sang here.
Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie played here on their way through Denver. The neighborhood's musicians — many trained by the remarkable program at Manual High School — fed a continuous stream of local talent into the national jazz world. The Rossonian building still stands, though the hotel closed decades ago.
Several historic facades remain along Welton, and the street has been designated a cultural district recognizing its significance to African American history in the Rocky Mountain West.