One of the official Auraria Higher Education Center ceremonial groundbreaking shovels. It is about three feet long with stainless steel hardware and commemorative engraving showing the groundbreaking date of October 4, 1973.
While essentially just a shovel, this ceremonial object represents the irreversible movement toward the physical manifestation of the Auraria Higher Education Center. This tri-institutional campus has had a tremendous impact on the intellectual and academic robustness of Denver and Colorado as a whole and has provided countless opportunities for thousands of students from a wide spectrum of ages, ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconimic groups.
This shovel symbolizes the stark transition of Auraria from multi-ethnic neighborhood to a rare multi-institutional higher education campus that has embraced its unique past.
University of Colorado, Auraria Library
1100 Lawrence St
Denver, CO 80204
United States