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 1897 and 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, and the 1897 and 1904 ordinances that effected the changes. 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 (ProQuest)
Historic maps of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico cities and towns from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries, reproduced in black-and-white. These are useful for viewing the underlying map beneath printed updates. Help
Denver Street Name Changes 1897-1904
In the late 1800s Denver was booming and like any city suffering growing pains, had to deal with a conflicting mix of address numbering and street names. Two pivotal ordinances in 1897 and 1904 made significant changes to street naming conventions in the Denver area. Addressing problems were addressed earlier in 1887. The Denver Sanborn map volumes for 1903/1904 provided both old and new names, while the 1887 Sanborn atlas shows both old and new addresses. The documents below are a transcribed version of the ordinances with links to the original document.
- Ordinance 16 (1897) -- west of the Platte
- Ordinance 19 (1904) -- East Denver
