Residents Choose New Name For Denver's Stapleton Neighborhood

DENVER, CO — The name of Denver's Stapleton neighborhood will be changed to Central Park. Stapleton United Neighbors made the announcement Saturday after the new name received 63 percent of votes.

Residents voted in June to recommend a name change amid nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. For years, neighbors debated whether to change the name, but in the wake of Floyd's death, pressure has grown to remove racist names and statues.

Benjamin Stapleton was a five-term mayor of Denver who was a member of the KKK. He served as the city's mayor between 1923 and 1947.

More than 65 percent of residents voted to keep the Stapleton name in a 2019 referendum, but Floyd's death and countless protests in Denver renewed the debate.

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The Central Park name was chosen after three online voting sessions. Voters ended up choosing two names — Skyview and Central Park. In a final round of voting Thursday, residents opted for Central Park, which is the name of a park in the neighborhood.

The Master Community Association will send a resolution to the city requesting the name change.