A number of different factors created Denver’s diagonal streets. The orientation of natural features like the Platte River and Cherry Creek, for example, gave downtown Denver and Auraria their 45-degree angles. The influence of the City Beautiful movement, which focused on grand civic centers and parks, prompted the creation of streets like Park Avenue to connect downtown to different open spaces. Tom Noel, Professor Emeritus of History, explains that the idea of those diagonal roadways is borrowed from Paris.

Why is Morrison Road diagonal?
Denverite, September 28