The Speer Project

Commissioned by Curious in 2002, playwright Joan Holden has been working on this original historical play about Denver’s own Mayor Robert W. Speer, an ardent exponent of the “City Beautiful” movement, christening the future of Denver as “Paris On The Platte River.” Despite his accomplishments, he was driven from office in 1912 by progressive reformers allied with fundamentalist Christians and temperance activists. This exciting project reclaims a lost chapter in Denver’s history, and celebrates the history of our Denver, while also asking us to consider what makes a city great, and at what price is civic greatness achieved?