Entry No. 40 — the Denver file — filed under: outdoor

BOWS — Patrick Marold Steel Arch Installation

On the wooded eastern edge of Cranmer Park, a run of reflective steel inverse arches lines the passageway between the neighborhood and the park. It's a commissioned Denver Public Art piece by Patrick Marold — installed in 2020 — but there's no plaque shouting it, so people walk straight through the arches without realizing they're inside a sculpture. The steel catches and bends light along the corridor as you move. Even people who use the park daily miss that it's art at all.

The move: Enter Cranmer from the tree-lined east side and walk the arch corridor slowly at golden hour, watching the light bend off the steel — then tell your date it's a deliberate installation, not just fancy fencing.

📍 Before you go Cranmer Park sits in residential Hilltop, roughly bounded by Third and First Avenues between Cherry and Bellaire. The arches line the tree-shaded eastern edge, due east of the sundial, so come in from the neighborhood side rather than crossing the open lawn. There is no dedicated lot; park free on the surrounding residential streets and keep things low-key for neighbors. The corridor is shadeless at midday and exposed in winter, so a clear, mild evening is the easy call. While there, walk a couple of minutes west to the historic sundial and the view terrace, which frames a sweeping Front Range panorama. Park hours shift seasonally, so check ahead.

• 📍 Hilltop
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Low-key
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Eastern edge of Cranmer Park, Hilltop, Denver (tree-dense passageway between the neighborhood and the park, due east of the sundial)

Hours: Outdoor public art, accessible during park hours. Reflective steel is most striking in low-angle light (early morning / golden hour); free.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: denverpublicart.org · denvergazette.com

last checked: 2026-06-07