Denver's Five Points, the once great jazz mecca of the West is undergoing a renaissance. Crossroads at Five Points, a multi-cultural entertainment venue which seeks to bring live theater, dance, music, live poetry, art, film, classes and lectures to the neighborhood will present its first theater production, "Bold Girls," (an Irish play) opening May 11th. Crossroad's mission is "to create a convergence of diverse cultures and art forms that promote learning and mutual understanding in the community." The once posh Hotel Rossonian which in its glory days hosted jazz greats like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday, is being renovated and plans to open as a live jazz club and "upscale restaurant" by summer of 2008 according to the Denver Post.

The Five Points neighborhood, still the heart of the African-American community, had been in decline and was considered a "scary" place to visit in recent decades. The renaissance began in earnest in 1994 when light rail came to the community. A station was built at 30th and Downing, and lofts and condos soon followed. Before long homeowners were renovating their old Victorian homes, and prices began to rise attracting a new generation of gentrifiers.

Is it still scary to visit or live in Five Points? Not according to Elbra Wedgeworth, former Denver City Council member and President, and chief architect of bringing the 2008 Democratic Convention to Denver. She thinks what's really scary is Douglas County!

Prices over the last 24 months for condos, townhomes and single family homes in Five Points range from about $140,000 to $375,000.