Red Rocks Ampitheatre and Park, located in Morrison, CO, in the foothills just west of Denver.

This land was once part of a 4000 acre parcel owned by John Brisben Walker,
who envisioned the location as a natural ampitheatre.

After Walker sold the land to Denver in 1927, architect Burnham Hoyt
designed the restrained International-style design, perfectly delivering
John Brisben Walker’s vision, integrated masterfully into the sandstone
formations.

Remarkably, this historical postcard shows an early concert
taking place on the very top of the principal rock formation,
Creation Rock.

The Red Rocks stage, and it’s relation to Denver, viewed over Dinosaur Ridge with Green Mountain to the left.

Note how the sandstone formations are integrated directly into Hoyt’s award winning design. Denver can be see in this photo as well.

This breathtaking ramp leads you from from the southwest parking lot, to the grand staircase at the base of the ampitheatre.

John Brisben Walker purchased this land in Morrison upon his return to Colorado, after a stint in NY, where he built up and then sold Cosmopolitan Magazine.

At that time the magazine was of high literary importance. Walker featured writers such as Tolstoy, H.G. Wells, & Mark Twain!

Before moving to New York, Walker had developed and built many areas of Denver and the Highlands, including Riverside Park (which I think included a race track, this later became the railyards along the Platte), the Denver Castle of Commerce, & Berkeley Park (which also included a race track & a ball field).

Spot the moon in this shot of Ship Rock over the benchs of the ampitheatre.

Walker was quite the visionary. He was an early supporter of the Wright Brothers and the Stanley Brothers of Stanley Steamer Locomobile steam-car fame.

He told the Wright Brothers they could come to Colorado and use his land, free of charge (they didn’t), but he did convince one of the the Stanley Brothers that the Colorado climate would improve his health. Freelan Stanley went on to build the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park.

Sleek International-style lines from the design of Denver architect Burnham Hoyt.

Walker’s ambition knew no bounds, he owned both Mt. Morrison and Mt. Falcon. He built an incline railroad to the top of Mt. Morrison. He built a stone mansion for himself atop Mt. Falcon, the ruins of which can be seen here.

Walker even held Stanley Steamer Locomobile races up on Mt. Falcon!

Walker’s biggest ambition was to build the Summer White House for the president of the United States, not far from his own mansion, on top of Mt. Falcon.

This would have been a Bavarian-style castle that would have had outstanding views of both Denver and the mountain range. He even got so far as to start the foundation and lay the cornerstone.

Sadly, multiple tragedies struck Walker, the Castle of Commerce burned down, his mansion on Mt. Falcon burned down, Walker’s wife died, and World War I took attention away from his Summer White House plans.

Long shot of Creation Rock at Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO.