Alamo Placita · Creek trail · Speer Blvd · Between the parks
Speer, Denver
Alamo Placita and the creek — Speer Blvd as the spine between Cap Hill and the parks
Speer is the official statistical neighborhood draped along Speer Boulevard: Alamo Placita historic houses north of the creek, apartments and the trail on the boulevard, and a short walk to Governor’s Park. It is not Capitol Hill and it is not Wash Park. It is the seam that uses both.
How to spend a day in Speer
Walk Alamo Placita Park and the historic grid, drop onto the Cherry Creek Trail under Speer, then Governor’s Park if you want the lawn with a downtown read. Whole Foods on 1st is the Cherry Creek cart Speer actually uses. King Soopers at 9th and Downing is the Cap Hill backup. 1st and Broadway are the edges, not the living rooms. Pablo’s at 6th and Washington is the 6 a.m. coffee on the Cap Hill seam — open daily until 5. Dora Moore on Corona at 8th is the ECE–5 campus Alamo Placita families actually use — walk the Corona frontage if the lease comes with a first-grader. Carmine’s on Penn at 92 S Pennsylvania is the family-style Italian south of the creek — Tue–Sun dinner, closed Monday, the table if Pablo’s is already coffee and 1st is already the errand street. Morey Middle at 840 E 14th is the Cap Hill/Cheesman seam campus — official address is 14th, not 11th; walk the 14th frontage if the lease comes with a seventh-grader. Lincoln Elementary at 710 S Pennsylvania is the other K–5 south of the creek — walk the Pennsylvania frontage if the lease is on the Wash Park side of Speer. The Art Students League at 200 Grant is the old Sherman School — classes and open studio if Alamo Placita is home and Carmine’s is already dinner. The Cherry Creek Post Office at 201 Columbine is the 80206 window Speer walks east to — hold mail, labeled Cherry Creek because that is the counter. Hungarian Freedom Park at 1st and Clarkson is the small triangle on Speer — the lawn the Alamo Placita houses use when Cheesman is already a hike. Sunken Gardens on Speer is the formal lawn if Alamo Placita is already the pocket park. Madeline at 1313 E 6th is the room in the old Fruition space — dinner Tuesday through Saturday, the reservation if Carmine's is already a plate. Mizuna at 225 E 7th is the reservation room — dinner Tuesday through Saturday, the table if Madeline is already Penn and Carmine's is already a red-sauce night. First Unitarian at 1400 Lafayette is the community hall — forums and a steeple if Alamo Placita is already the park and Mizuna is already the reservation.
The Speer walk · about 1.5 hours
- Alamo Placita Park (Park) — The small park at 4th and Emerson — playground, garden, the lawn the historic district walks to. Cheesman is bigger and west; this is the one the Speer houses actually use.
399 Emerson St, Denver, CO 80218 - Cherry Creek Trail at Speer (Outdoors) — The off-street spine under and along Speer — downtown one way, Cherry Creek and the mall the other. Speer Blvd is the noise above; the trail is why a bike commute works here.
Speer Blvd & Emerson St, Denver, CO 80218 - Governor's Park (Park) — 7th and Logan — the sloped lawn with a downtown view, off-leash hours, the Cap Hill edge Speer shares. Alamo Placita is the garden park; this is the hill.
701 N Logan St, Denver, CO 80203 - Whole Foods (1st Avenue) (Shop) — The grocery Speer walks east to — 1st and University-ish in Cherry Creek. Labeled as Cherry Creek because that is the store. 9th and Downing King Soopers is the west-side cart.
2375 E 1st Ave, Denver, CO 80206 - King Soopers (9th & Downing) (Shop) — Cap Hill’s full grocery — the other cart Speer uses when 1st already feels like Cherry Creek. Open daily. Alamo Placita does not have its own supermarket.
890 N Downing St, Denver, CO 80218 - 1st Avenue (Shop) — The south commercial seam toward Cherry Creek — Speer’s errand street if you are not already on the trail. Broadway is louder and west.
E 1st Ave & Emerson St, Denver, CO 80218 - Alamo Placita Historic District (Landmark) — The house grid north of Speer — brick bungalows and terraces, design review on many blocks. The boulevard apartments are a different product. Walk the interiors before you copy a listing on Speer itself.
E 4th Ave & Ogden St, Denver, CO 80218 - Pablo's Coffee (6th & Washington) (Coffee) — The original Pablo’s retail room at 630 E 6th since 2001 — 6 a.m.–5 p.m. daily. Cap Hill’s 13th & Penn shop closes at 2; this is the all-day cup on the Speer / Cap Hill seam if Alamo Placita is home and Governor’s Park is already a hill.
630 E 6th Ave, Denver, CO 80203 - Dora Moore Elementary (Landmark) — DPS ECE–5 on Corona at 8th — arts-integrated campus, the school Alamo Placita and south Cap Hill families actually use. Walk the Corona frontage if the lease comes with a first-grader. Pablo’s is coffee two blocks west; this is the school, not a field trip.
846 Corona St, Denver, CO 80218 - Carmine's on Penn (Food) — Family-style Italian at 92 S Pennsylvania since the ’90s — red sauce, a room that books for groups, closed Monday. Dinner Tue–Sun. Pablo’s is coffee on 6th; this is the table south of the creek if Alamo Placita is home and Whole Foods is already the cart.
92 S Pennsylvania St, Denver, CO 80209 - Morey Middle School (Landmark) — DPS 6–8 at 840 E 14th — official address is 14th, not the 2025 E 11th listing that still floats. Cap Hill / Cheesman seam campus Speer and south Cap Hill families actually use. Walk the 14th frontage if the lease comes with a seventh-grader. Dora Moore is the elementary; this is the middle school, not a field trip.
840 E 14th Ave, Denver, CO 80218 - Lincoln Elementary (Landmark) — DPS K–5 at 710 S Pennsylvania — the campus south-of-the-creek Speer houses use when Dora Moore is already the Alamo Placita school and South High is already the high school. Walk the Pennsylvania frontage if the lease is on the Wash Park side of Speer. Carmine’s is dinner two blocks north; this is the school, not a field trip.
710 S Pennsylvania St, Denver, CO 80209 - Art Students League of Denver (Culture) — The old Sherman School at 200 Grant — classes and open studio in the historic building Speer shares with south Cap Hill. Check the calendar; it is not a drop-in museum. Carmine’s is dinner; this is the indoor hour if Alamo Placita is home and 1st is already the errand street.
200 Grant St, Denver, CO 80203 - Cherry Creek Post Office (Landmark) — The 80206 window at 201 Columbine — packages, hold mail, the form you file when an Alamo Placita lease starts. It sits in Cherry Creek North; say so. Counter weekdays and Saturday morning. Whole Foods is groceries; this is the forwarding address if Pablo’s is already coffee and Carmine’s is already dinner.
201 Columbine St Ste 150, Denver, CO 80206 - Hungarian Freedom Park (Park) — Small triangle at Speer, 1st, and Clarkson — 1950s park on the historic parkway, the lawn Alamo Placita actually sits in when Cheesman is already across the creek. Not a playground complex. Alamo Placita Park is the bigger grass; this is the block if a Speer lease faces the boulevard and the trail is already the bike.
Speer Blvd & Clarkson St, Denver, CO 80218 - 9News (Speer Boulevard) (Landmark) — KUSA at 500 Speer, on the boulevard the neighborhood is named for — the glass newsroom next to Alamo Placita, not a tour. Hungarian Freedom Park is the lawn; this is the building if a Speer lease tour needs a landmark that is not another cafe. No public gallery.
500 Speer Blvd, Denver, CO 80203 - Sunken Gardens Park (Park) — The formal lawn at 801 Speer Blvd — flower beds, the green Speer actually sits in between the boulevard and the creek trail. Alamo Placita is the historic pocket; this is the bigger grass if you are pricing a place off the parkway. Dogs on leash. The trail is the bike; this is the picnic.
801 Speer Blvd, Denver, CO 80204 - Madeline (Food) — Dinner room at 1313 E 6th in the old Fruition space — opened May 2026, not a Fruition remodel. Tuesday through Saturday from 5; closed Sunday and Monday. Carmine's on Penn is the red-sauce plate; Pablo's at 6th and Washington is coffee. This is the reservation if Speer is home and Alamo Placita is already the park. Book on the site.
1313 E 6th Ave, Denver, CO 80218 - Mizuna (Food) — Frank Bonanno's dining room at 225 E 7th — French-leaning, a monthly menu, dinner Tuesday–Saturday from 5. Madeline on Penn is the newer room in the old Fruition space; Carmine's is the red sauce. This is the reservation if Alamo Placita is home and Governor's Park is already the lawn. Book ahead. Closed Sunday and Monday.
225 E 7th Ave, Denver, CO 80203 - 6th Avenue Parkway (Outdoors) — The tree median that starts at Speer and runs east — a planted parkway, not a trail with a trailhead, and the reason a Speer listing mentions the parkway. Sunken Gardens is the lawn at the boulevard; this is the walk if you want shade without crossing into Cheesman. Cross at the lights. No restroom.
6th Avenue Pkwy & Speer Blvd, Denver, CO 80218 - Denver7 (KMGH) (Landmark) — Local TV station at 123 Speer Blvd — the other newsroom on this boulevard, 9News already up the street. Not a tour desk. Sunken Gardens is the lawn across the road; this is the lit sign you use to orient a lease on the Speer curve. Street parking is a bad bet at rush.
123 Speer Blvd, Denver, CO 80203 - First Unitarian Society of Denver (Landmark) — Community congregation at 1400 Lafayette — forums, concerts, the steeple Speer sees from Alamo Placita. Not a tour unless a service or event is posted. Mizuna is the reservation; Pablo's on 6th is the cup; Sunken Gardens is the lawn. This is the hall if a Speer lease faces Lafayette and Cherry Creek Trail is already the run.
1400 Lafayette St, Denver, CO 80218
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