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1033 9th Street — the Torres family home — has long been a place where stories are shared and kept alive. This stop features Dennis Lobato, a second-generation Displaced Aurarian descendant, who draws on his memories of time spent at Grandma Torres’s home.
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Rachel Gross: Just next door at 1033 is the Torres House. Here, neighbors congregated on the long porch and enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Torres family. Phillip and Petra bought the house in the 1930s and raised their seven children here. Five of those children were delivered at home by Dr. Justina Ford, Colorado’s first black doctor. The family lived here for almost 40 years.
The building holds memories for Philip and Petra’s children and grandchildren. Look up at the roof. Daughter Frances remembers a playful dare between siblings, resulting in her sister Teresa jumping off this roof onto the ground in front of the house.
And if you look closely at the third-floor window, you might catch a glimpse of La Llorona, a mythical ghost who was feared by neighborhood children. She represented the real-life struggles and historical trauma of many individuals in the community.
The Torres family was quick to provide rooms, meals, and fellowship to those who needed it–however long they needed it–including La Llorona.
Neighborhood kids would gather around the house for games and meals. Dennis remembers his grandmother Petra Torres’ generosity:
Dennis Lobato: Well here’s 1033 Ninth Street porch is definitely a destination….We would, we would gather in that front porch area, and that’s where life happened….And so me and my cousin would obviously go to school, but where would we go after school? Because, you know, we had obviously both of us had parents that worked….But who was always home? Grandma. Grandma Torres was home. And of course, you can’t go to Grandma Torres’ house without her great hospitality of feeding you.
Rachel Gross: Petra’s husband Phillip also promoted neighborhood health and cohesion. In his work as director of the Lawrence Street Rec Center and as a member of the mayor’s Audit Division, he was constantly fighting for basic city services. Meanwhile, Petra focused on education–a strong value among Chicano families. She co-founded and directed the Adult Education Program at St. Elizabeth Church down the street.
For families like the Torres’s, the 1950s and 1960s were a time of promise for Auraria. As Philip and Petra’s son Matteo remembers, there was a feeling of just having arrived. “We were about to thrive,” he said. “We were getting better jobs, even in our family, and we were about to thrive.”
Head north on this sidewalk to the end of the block, where you’ll see a sign for the Los Molinos restaurant, to hear more about the grocery stores, bakeries, and barbershops that sustained this community before displacement.