Home > MetNews

Aurarians honored after all these years
Displaced residents memorialized; funding descendants continues
By Ruthanne Johnson
rjohn180@mscd.edu

Photo by Nicholas Duckworth • nduckwor@mscd.edu At the Ninth Street Park, the ground has been prepared for a memorial for the people who were displaced due to the growing Auraria Campus.

Before Metro was a college, an entire community of churches, schools, businesses and homes existed at Auraria. More than 30 years after this community was bulldozed to make way for the college in 1973, a memorial honoring the 1,200 residents forced from their homes will be held 9:30 a.m. on May 4 at the north end of Ninth Street Park.

All three colleges – Metro, UCDHSC and CCD – will participate in the event, which is free and open to the public.

“What happened to my neighborhood was a triumph of property values over human values,” said Tony Garcia, a Metro Chicano studies professor who grew up in the once-thriving neighborhood. “I think this dedication offers an acknowledgement of the sacrifices that were made by those homeowners families and citizens in order to build the Auraria Campus.”

In the early 1900s Auraria, which is the oldest settlement in Denver, became a gathering place for residents of Hispanic descent. The old Victorian homes were inexpensive to rent – a perfect fit for families that endured discrimination and low wages – and St. Cajetan’s Church, along with area schools, created cohesiveness among community members.

Although the neighborhood was poor, residents kept up their properties, many of which had been purchased by veterans after World War II, said Magdalena Gallegos, a historian and former Auraria resident.

“My dad liked the West Side community because everything was together, a small neighborhood where everyone knew each other,” said Christine Lorenzo, a Metro freshman whose family had lived at Auraria.

In the late 1960s, the Denver Urban Renewal Association began planning for a college campus somewhere in the city. After reviewing statistics for the West Side acreage – such as median single family income and vacant and condemned property rates – Auraria was chosen. At the time 350 families lived in the neighborhood, some dating back three generations.

Most Aurarians did not know of the impending eviction until officials announced a bond election measure regarding the neighborhood. Denver residents voted on the issue and the deal was cemented. For many, the relocation was hard to take. One of the displaced Aurarians, Louise Vigil, told Gallegos in an interview that “most people had lived there all their lives and they were heartbroken.”

The Aurarians did not get much for their homes because many of the properties had been condemned by DURA. Landowner Isabel Ramos received $35,000 for three houses that she owned, and many businesses received less than $400 for relocation.

As a concession, DURA officials guaranteed Aurarians and their descendants free tuition at any one of the three colleges constructed on the campus – a promise that went unfulfilled until 1993.

“It was difficult obtaining hard-core documentation of the assurances made to residents, and of who was doing the reassuring,” said John Nieto, president of the Displaced Aurarians Association.

It was not until the association held a reunion in 1993 that the three colleges revisited the old agreement. School officials met and established the Displaced Aurarian Scholarship that same year. The scholarship offers free tuition and fees to first- and second-generation descendants of residents of the Auraria neighborhood between 1955 and 1973.

Metro junior Natalie Archuletta applied for the scholarship after realizing that without a degree her 18 years with the Denver Department of Human Services left her no opportunity for advancement.

“There is no ladder without a bachelor’s degree. Now I am a junior taking two classes at a time for a degree in human services,” she said, adding that her son will also probably pursue a degree at Metro.

To receive the scholarship, applicants must provide documentation of their relationship to the Auraria descendants. Recipients must maintain a minimum of six credit hours and a 2.0 grade point average. The scholarship funds are limited and available on a first-come-first-serve basis. If not initially accepted, applicants will be placed on a waiting list.

“It’s unfortunate that people have to wait, because it’s hard to put life on hold,” Archuletta said. “You lose momentum.”

Since it was established, 131 students have taken advantage of the scholarship, 25 of them obtaining degrees from Metro. As of 2007, monies awarded to displaced Aurarians have totaled nearly $413,000, and there are currently 40 students on the waiting list.

Metro junior Travis Maron, whose grandparents lived at Auraria, said he had no problems getting the scholarship.

“I’ll bet there were lots of people who missed out on the opportunity before 1993, and it will be interesting to see how the colleges handle things as more people begin to take advantage of the scholarship,” he said.