After 97 years of hosting community concerts and festivals, weddings and quinceañeras, Denver’s iconic City Park bandstand along Ferril Lake was burned beyond repair in a fire overnight, city officials said Thursday.
The fire was reported early Thursday morning and rendered the structure, built in 1929, a “total loss,” officials said in a post on Facebook. The free concert series is set to celebrate its 40th season at the bandstand this summer.
Denver Fire Department crews were called to the fire at 2:40 a.m. Thursday and found the structure fully engulfed in flames, Division Chief Robert Murphy said.
Fire investigators are still sorting through the wreckage to figure out what happened and are “a ways out” from determining the cause, he said.
“Obviously, it’s suspicious that it caught on fire in the middle of the night,” Murphy said.
Concert organizers are not deterred from moving forward with the upcoming season, which is set to kick off on June 7 with the DJ Williams Band, City Park Jazz officials said in a statement.
“The City Park Jazz Board of Directors is already working through our options and we’ll be partnering closely with the city to ensure we can do everything in our power to have this incredible celebration of community again this summer,” officials said Thursday morning.
Local advocacy group quickly launched a restoration fund for community members who want to donate to repair or rebuild the bandstand.
Group organizer Georgia Garnsey has lived a few blocks from the park for more than 50 years and walks in the park every day.
“It’s just devastated,” she said. “It’s blackened and falling apart, and it’s so sad. John Philip Sousa performed there, so it’s very historic and beloved by all of us.”
Denver Parks and Recreation staff will review permits for the bandshell and work with people and groups affected to “to determine the best path forward for their scheduled event,” such as rescheduling, relocating or canceling with a refund, spokesperson Stephanie Figueroa said in an email.
