Sunken Gardens Park in the La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood was once home to a beautiful pavilion and reflecting pool that neighbors used as a cool respite in Denver’s summer heat. Built in 1912, the Moorish-style architecture featuring soaring archways beneath a tiled roof was designed by Jules Jacques Benoit Benedict. Although this building is long gone, his work can still be admired in the Washington Park Boat Pavilion and the Gart Brothers Sports Castle. The reflecting pool has also been all but demolished — but if you look closely, you can see the remnants of the pool’s outline popping out of the grass.
From Pool to Park, the History of Sunken Gardens
Posted on July 10, 2023 | Updated on September 30, 2025
Bree Davies
A view of the long-demolished pavilion at Sunken Gardens Park. (Denver Public Library Special Collections, MCC-1939)
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