NOW OPEN:
Discover Lakewood's New Downtown!

Belmar, Lakewood's new downtown at South Wadsworth Boulevard and Alameda Avenue opened with grand events beginning May 14, and a variety of ongoing activities and events.

Look closely when you visit Belmar. You will see visual treasures large and small, making Lakewood's downtown at Wadsworth Boulevard and Alameda Avenue unique and engaging.

Here, even the manhole covers exceed the ordinary. They are stamped with the Belmar logo and other designs. Here, the street lamps are an original, contemporary design. Here, the "Urban Anatomy" public art project spreads art, fragments of poetry and other creative vignettes throughout the district.

"We wanted to create little ah-ha's in unexpected places so that people can discover them as they walk through Belmar," Liza Prall, Belmar's director of marketing and community development, told the media recently.

Here, the street names and the community park call forth Lakewood's history. One street is named Bonfils, after the estate of May Bonfils Stanton. It was Bonfils Stanton's mansion that once graced Wadsworth, and her family owned the property under the former Villa Italia Mall.

A replica of a fountain -- or the real one, if it can be relocated -- that adorned Bonfils Stanton's mansion might anchor the community park.

Grand opening week also will enrich the community. The shops in Belmar will donate a portion of their sales from May 14 to May 20 to the Lakewood Legacy Foundation, a community trust that supports nonprofit groups in Lakewood. Several companies have pledged a portion of their sales to the Gold Crown Foundation's art program, which Lakewood Legacy funds.

Belmar has established the largest award designated for Colorado artists and designers. The BAAAD award honors five artists and five designers whose works will be on display beginning May 14.
Come see the details yourself.

The Belmar redevelopment of the former Villa Italia mall site is a public/private partnership of the Lakewood Reinvestment Authority and Continuum Partners, LLC.