Sunset over Banning Lewis Ranch
At a time when home is the center of life more than ever before, one Colorado Springs neighborhood has emerged as a leader. Banning Lewis Ranch, an Oakwood Homes Community on the northeast side of town has garnered a distinction that no other new community in the state of Colorado has achieved. Besides being Colorado Springs’ fastest-growing and best-selling community for the last seven years, Banning Lewis Ranch was the only Colorado community to make the 2020 “Top 50 Master-Planned Communities” list compiled by independent research company John Burns Real Estate Counseling.
One reason Banning Lewis Ranch landed at No. 28 in the latest national rankings is because the premiere contributing builders Oakwood Homes, Classic Homes and Covington Homes know what people look for in a neighborhood: a sense of community. The neighborhood’s intentional development has included amenities and activities that make it easy for neighbors to meet and conn
Building the African-American community
Emancipation Park was purchased for $800 in 1872 by a group of influential African Americans led by Reverend Jack Yates. The street leading to Emancipation Park was East Broadway, later renamed by the city to Dowling Street after Confederate hero Richard Dowling.
Black-owned Businesses
Did you know…After World War I, Dowling Street was a bustling business epicenter for African-Americans?
From 1910 to 1930, the census recorded a colored population jump from 22,929 to 66,357. In that 20-year span, Black-owned businesses flourished up and down the historic Dowling Street. Community landmarks such as Yates High School, the Covington House, Wesley Chapel, and St. Nicholas were built either on or next to Dowling Street.