David Downs
Cherry Creek North Enthusiast

Born and raised in Denver and married to another Denver native, David Downs has resided in the Cherry Creek area all of his life – much of which has been spent agitating to protect the livability of our Cherry Creek North neighborhood. Admitting to the possibility of an autobiography, David has great stories both public and personal about life in Cherry Creek, both then and now.

David remembers when:

• The residential area was comprised primarily of open space, small Victorian houses, and the streetcar service along 4th and 6th Avenues. You could ride all the way to Golden.
• Livestock grazed in the present Cherry Creek East neighborhood, and the Cambridge Dairy with cows was at Colorado Boulevard / Cherry Creek South Drive.
• The land we all know as the Cherry Creek Shopping Center / Mall was a city dump and a great place for kids to ride their bikes and explore.
• Green houses and nurseries clustered in the area, perhaps in the hope of being spared the worst hail storms; and
• Learning art appreciation from a real authority - his mother was the Art Editor for the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post.

With Victoria, his bride of 59 years, David is the father of five children who have provided ten grandchildren (9 boys and 1 girl). David’s stories of raising his three boys and two girls include some interesting animal adventures: a pre-med fifth-grader’s partially dissected fetal pig found stashed in his Mom’s refrigerator, and a couple of smart and curious pet squirrel monkeys who loved exploring the neighborhood and surprising the neighbors. All five of his children attended the old three-story red brick Bromwell schoolhouse, and four of his grandchildren have attended the current Bromwell School. Their 5th Avenue and Clayton house, which the Downs’ bought in 1950, is the only house they have ever owned.

David has worked in several different fields including his love - the airline industry. Starting out as a luggage handler with Continental, he also worked the counter and reservations, before becoming an on-board steward where part of his job was sorting mail during flights. In those days, the DC-3s fought erratic turbulence in the Southwest, making for a bumpy, even dangerous ride in the cargo hold.

He had an interest in two Cherry Creek enterprises. One was the first Denver AM and FM radio station (KFML), which was located on Fillmore Street, where he created the first “stereo” broadcast and “sold time” to advertisers. The second business was Optique 2000, an optical store. These days he actively manages his investments online, while pursuing his many extra-curricular passions including Broadway and jazz music, art and painting, golf, and…as always, airplanes.

But one of his passions for which he has worked the hardest and longest is the safeguarding of the Cherry Creek Neighborhood and the amenities it offers. Too realistic to push for a purely historic district, he has dedicated much of his time and energy to insuring the proper balance between residential and commercial interests for the benefit of all.

The following list of his community activities and actions to protect Cherry Creek North is impressive.

• His first stand as a neighborhood activist was in 1971, opposing the proposed location of the Cherry Creek Post Office inside the residential area in the 500 block of Clayton Street.
• David was a member of the Bromwell Civic Association in 1971 and led the successful effort to block a high-rise residential development on the land adjacent to the school. The vacant land that resulted was later turned into today’s Bromwell public park.
• To expand the neighborhood’s influence in the greater Cherry Creek community David helped found the Denver East Central Civic Association (DECCA). 20 years later, Walt Kemball formed the Harman Homeowners Association, and then several members of the organization formed the present Cherry Creek North Neighborhood Association.
• As an active member of DECCA, he was a member of the committee that wrote the 1974 Cherry Creek Neighborhood Plan.
• In 1980 David became the Chairman of the Greater Cherry Creek Steering Committee, which represented 17 neighborhoods surrounding Cherry Creek North that vigorously opposed the expansion of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center to a proposed 4 million square feet. Eventually, the present 1.3 million square foot size was established through the Taubman Development Agreements with the City and the Cherry Creek Steering Committee.
• David also helped draft the 1986 CCN neighborhood plan, which led to the establishment of the present Cherry Creek Steering Committee.
• David has always strived for balance between residential and business development interests. Over the years a boundary between the residential and commercial areas, approximately 100 feet north of 3rd Avenue, was established and is now a part of the CCN Neighborhood Plan.
• Even today, David is an active member of the Cherry Creek Steering Committee and the Cherry Creek North Neighborhood Association.

Almost every day David and his wife can be seen walking through their beloved Cherry Creek North. Observing as he strolls, David is always watching our ever-changing neighborhood, reflecting on its incredible transformation. All Cherry Creek North residents should feel fortunate to have a loyal and dedicated friend and neighbor in David Downs.