Denver Arts and Culture: An Insider's Guide from The Oxford Hotel
The Neighborhood
The Oxford Hotel has been part of Denver’s story since 1891, watching the city evolve from a growing frontier town into the vibrant cultural destination it is today. Designed by renowned Denver architect Frank E. Edbrooke, the original five-story hotel arrived during Denver’s Gilded Age, when the city was rapidly taking shape around the railroad, commerce, and the promise of the West.
Denver’s cultural identity was taking shape, too. As galleries, theaters, restaurants, and gathering places began to define the city, The Oxford became part of that story, evolving alongside Denver while preserving the architectural details and character that have made it a landmark for generations. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and just steps away, The Cruise Room carries its own storied legacy as Denver’s longest-running bar, opening the day after Prohibition was repealed in 1933.
Today, that history is part of what makes a stay at The Oxford feel different. There’s no need to follow a generic tourist checklist when some of Denver’s most memorable experiences are right outside the door. Start with a few of our favorite places, thoughtfully chosen for their character, creativity, and connection to the city we’ve called home for more than a century.
The Oxford’s Own Gallery
In the Lobby
Start where the story begins: in the lobby. Ascend the grand staircase and you’ll find a gallery of classical landscapes in gilded frames stretching along the length of the descent. Ornamental ceiling details, geometric mezzanine railings, and warm brass lighting complete the scene, creating a space that feels as much like a gallery as a hotel lobby.
Among them is John Fery’s Panoramic Mountain Landscape, painted by the Austrian-born artist. According to Oxford lore, artists working in the hotel’s early years could settle their bar tabs with a canvas rather than cash. Nearby hangs Adolphe-William Bouguereau’s Nymphs and Satyr, alongside works by Charles Partridge Adams, once regarded as one of Colorado’s foremost landscape painters.
In 2018, The Oxford commissioned Denver artist and sixth-generation Coloradan Duke Beardsley to create Trouble Checks In, A Night at the Ox, featuring seven cowboys layered over a reproduction of a historic Oxford guest ledger.
Within Walking Distance
Denver Art Museum & Clyfford Still
Comfortable shoes are all you need. From The Oxford, some of Denver’s most celebrated cultural institutions are within an easy walk, with plenty to discover along the way.
About 1.5 miles out, the Denver Art Museum sits at the heart of the Golden Triangle Creative District — a 25- to 30-minute walk through downtown. Its Hamilton Building, by Daniel Libeskind, is recognizable for its titanium-clad façade, while the original 1971 building by Gio Ponti houses further collections. Next door, the Clyfford Still Museum holds nearly the entirety of the artist’s estate: more than 800 paintings and 1,500 works on paper, many unseen for decades.
When you’d rather save your steps for the galleries, The Oxford’s courtesy car is available for destinations within a two-mile radius.
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts
A Mile from the Door
Just about a mile from The Oxford, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts makes an easy addition to an evening downtown. The sprawling complex is home to multiple theaters beneath an expansive glass canopy, including the historic Ellie Caulkins Opera House and the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre.
With resident companies including Colorado Ballet, Colorado Symphony, Opera Colorado, and the Denver Center Theatre Company, the calendar offers everything from ballet and opera to Broadway and contemporary theater. Catch a matinee or evening performance, then make your way back to The Cruise Room for a nightcap.
The 16th Street Mall
One Block Away
Just one block from The Oxford, 16th Street stretches through downtown as a pedestrian-friendly corridor lined with shops, restaurants, public art, and some of the city’s most recognizable architecture. Originally designed by I.M. Pei & Partners in 1982, the mile-long promenade features a distinctive diamond-patterned granite pavement inspired by Navajo rug motifs.
Today it offers an easy way to move between The Oxford, Denver Union Station, and the cultural attractions farther downtown. Take your time, look up, and you’ll find plenty of details worth noticing along the way.
Plan Your Visit
A cultural weekend in Denver doesn’t have to mean choosing between a hotel with character and a location close to the city’s art and culture. At The Oxford, you can have both.
Before you arrive, explore the hotel’s full history, then take a look at what’s happening nearby to start planning your own itinerary.