Denver's Historic House of Wu Site Moves Toward National Register Listing
A Denver building steeped in Chinese American business history is on its way to the National Register of Historic Places. The Denver Landmark Preservation Commission met on November 3 to consider the National Register nomination of the House of Wu site at 6115-6117 East Colfax Avenue, and staff recommended forwarding the nomination to the Keeper of the National Register. The applicant is History Colorado, and the property sits in City Council District 9, represented by Darrell Watson.
The modernist commercial building, constructed in 1949, was home to House of Wu, a gift, clothing and home decor shop that operated until 1993, a span of 44 years. Owners Harry Wu and Louise Wu were both born in China in 1890; Harry immigrated to the United States in 1909, ran restaurants in San Francisco and New York, married Louise in 1937, and moved to Denver in the 1940s. The nomination notes that the store was run by the extended Wu family: in addition to the couple, the company's incorporators included their four daughters, Lily, Connie, Helen and Mary, along with sons-in-law and relatives, a classic example of a Chinese American family enterprise.
Staff concluded that the building meets National Register Criterion A in the areas of ethnic heritage (Asian American/Chinese) and commerce, and Criterion C for architecture. It continues the tradition of Denver Chinatown shops of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, supplying specialty goods to the Chinese community while also selling silk and other merchandise to a broader clientele. Next, the nomination will proceed through state and federal review.
(Source: Denver Landmark Preservation Commission)
Source: Denver Landmark Preservation Commission
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 丹佛市区（图：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0；五家公司旧址本体照片未获公开授权，以市区图代之） / Downtown Denver (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; no openly licensed photo of the House of Wu building itself was available)
