Landmark Lectures – Lost Department Stores of Denver

Through decades of research and interviews with former staff, Denver’s unofficial department store historian Mark Barnhouse assembles the ultimate mosaic of the Mile High City’s fabulous retail past.

Denverites once enjoyed a retail landscape rich with personal touches. Revisit May-D&F’s animated holiday windows or the ice skating rink in front of the store. Reminisce about the Christmas chandeliers that stretched for four hundred feet on the main floor of the Denver Dry Goods or the elegance of Neusteters, with its fashion shows and exclusive merchandise. Recall finding that perfect outfit at Fashion Bar and going back-to-school shopping at Joslins. Celebrate salespeople who remembered your name and the comforting feeling of shopping locally where your parents and grandparents shopped.

Denver historian Mark A. Barnhouse is passionate about his hometown’s past. He is the author of eleven books, including Lost Department Stores of Denver; The Denver Dry Goods: Where Colorado Shopped With Confidence; Vanished Denver Landmarks; and the recently published Historic Cemeteries of Denver (co-authored with James M. Cavoto) among others. He first became interested in Denver history as a child, when he found Sandra Dallas’s Yesterday’s Denver under the Christmas tree; as a teenager he spent many hours exploring downtown Denver’s department stores and other fascinating buildings. He holds a BA in History and English from University of Colorado, Denver, where he studied under “Dr. Colorado,” Thomas J. Noel. He has spent decades researching and writing about Denver’s lost department stores.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with self-guided tours available; program begins at 6:30 p.m.
Ticket sales begin Monday, Sept. 14 at 8 a.m. on our website
(Each ticket includes appetizers; a cash bar will be available with beer and wine)