There was a major change in the downtown address numbering system in 1887 and a major change in street names for the entire city in 1904. The 1887 Sanborn atlas shows former and new address numbers and the 1903/4 Sanborn atlas shows former and current street names. Since the legal description does not usually change, the block and lot numbers can be used to verify the location of the property.
For further information on the history of street name changes and lists of old and new street names see Denver Streets: Names, Numbers, Locations, Logic by Phil Goodstein in the Building History Research Area. For more information see the Denver Building History Tutorial.
Baist Atlas 1905
Historical map of Denver, Colorado. Included is a listing of all Additions and Subdivisions until the year 1905.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Historic maps of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries. These are useful for those who cannot physically access the printed maps, which include much more detail and are color-coded, or to view the underlying map beneath printed updates. Help
