Landscape Information
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, fifteen miles west of Denver, is a spectacular collaboration between man and nature, an entertainment venue created by the guiding vision of George Cranmer, Manager of Improvement and Parks. In the early 1900s John Brisben Walker had produced concerts on a temporary platform in this acoustically perfect environment, created by the dramatic natural geologic site originally known as the Garden of Angels. Facing eastward with panoramic views of Denver, two dramatic sandstone monoliths create a natural amphitheater. The southern monolith resembles a ship and is named “Ship Rock.” “Creation Rock" stands on the opposite side of the amphitheater. With Cranmer’s persuasion and Walker’s original mission for the land, the City of Denver purchased the site in 1928 for $54,133. With the participation of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Work Projects Administration, both materials and labor were provided for the construction of the amphitheater, designed by Denver architect Burnham Hoyt. Construction took more than 12 years, and the amphitheater was dedicated on June 15, 1941. Since that time Red Rocks has been host to well-known performers from around the world. Red Rocks Park, which includes the amphitheater, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2015.
