Photographer sees hope for ‘lost neighborhood’ with I-70 construction
DENVER — Photographer and Denver native Joe Martinez has witnessed Denver's growing pains for 60 years. When the Interstate 70 viaduct was built, it sliced through his home neighborhood of Swansea, leaving the community in disrepair and as a food desert.
Rocky Mountain PBS first met Martinez when he was taking pictures of the now-closed El Chapultepec, and he lamented the loss of the historic jazz club. At 70 years old, Martinez is familiar with the changing landscape of Denver.
Now, with Interstate 70 under construction, Martinez sees hope for Swansea's future.
“I call it the lost neighborhood,” Martinez says of Swansea. “There's a viaduct Interstate 70 that goes right through Swansea and is stopped any kind of good that's happened to the neighborhood.”
“I was here before the interstate went in. I worked for Safeway, and it was right underneath where the interstate is now. As soon as the interstate went in Safeway had to close, and after Safeway closed, the whole neighborhood didn't have anything, and it hasn't had a grocery store for many years.”
Martinez continued, “The neighborhood used to be full of kids riding their bikes. We don't have that anymore because it's an older neighborhood now that people just lost interest in.”
Martinez wants to use his photography to bring light to the pain of his neighborhood.
“I want to show people with my art, my photography, the abandoned buildings that are here that were homes for people,” Martinez says. “I want to show the people that something has to be done about the neighborhood.”
Martinez also wonders why his neighborhood has been neglected.
“Cherry Creek neighborhood, RINO, the Highlands- they build them up, they make them up, what happened to Swansea? It’s sad, it makes me sad.”
Of course, there’s always a delicate balance between revitalized and gentrified, but when art meets purpose perhaps people will take notice.
“My photos are more of like a story, and if my story brings something good to the neighborhood that's a plus. My photos are to express what I feel about what's happening in the neighborhood, in Denver.”
Martinez now has an opportunity to share his story and photographs in a public setting.
“I'm going to be having this (photography) show, at the Museo de las Americas and it's going to be around March or April. My subject is about the lost neighborhood of Swansea,” he says.
Martinez hopes his photographs can help heal his neighborhood, much like photography and his camera helped heal him from 30 years of alcoholism.
“When I was able to pick up my camera, my camera was like a serenity for me, like a new beginning. I was able to get away from my addiction and have a new addiction and it was an addiction with my camera,” Martinez says. “I've won a few awards, I've been in plenty of shows and I love it.”
“To me my camera is worth a million bucks even though it's only a small little camera, it's worth a million bucks because when I have my camera, I feel alive.”
Today, as the I-70 viaduct is being demolished and the highway lowered, Martinez wants to have optimism and hope that the project could mean good things for his neighborhood.
“When they first said that they were going to put in the interstate underneath I had good feelings that, ‘oh well that will bring in a lot more stores, coffee shops, or something productive for the for the community,’” Martinez says.
Whatever happens, Martinez will be there, capturing Swansea's story with his camera.