Javier Alvarez

Photographer

www.javieralvarezm.com/

COLFAX

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Location: Brooklyn

Nationality: Chilean

Biography: hola@javieralvarezm.com 1-303-746-0504 Brooklyn, NY / Santiago, Chile. Javier Álvarez is a Chilean documentary photographer focused on social issues. After pursuing a BFA in Photography, Javier worked as a freelance editorial and... MORE

Colfax Avenue, the longest stre...States. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Colfax Avenue, the longest street in the United States. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Pete. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

A Holiday Inn motel postcard on...Avenue. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

A Holiday Inn motel postcard on Colfax Avenue. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Mark, a 32-year-old man, found ...nhealthy habits and addictions.

Mark, a 32-year-old man, found himself in the parking lot of a road motel along Colfax Avenue. He was taking a brief respite with his wife and two children while searching for employment. The family had left Oklahoma to escape unhealthy habits and addictions.

Family dinner at road Motel in Denver. 2018.

Mark's young daughter i...s in Denver, Colorado, in 2018.

Mark's young daughter inside the road motel where their family had been staying for a couple of days in Denver, Colorado, in 2018.

Mark's young son in Denver, Colorado, in 2018.

Mark's motel. Denver, 2018.

Night at the bar. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Picking up a passenger at the S...Lounge. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Picking up a passenger at the Satire Lounge. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Two friends shared a marijuana ...enue in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Two friends shared a marijuana joint outside a nightclub on Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Mark's hand gently brus...food in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Mark's hand gently brushed against a flower as we waited for takeout Chinese food in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

A vacant parking lot within an ...mall in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

A vacant parking lot within an abandoned strip mall in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Colfax Avenue, mile 12. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Colfax Avenue, mile 30. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Colfax Avenue, Downtown Denver, Colorado. 2018.

A letter from Billy, a homeless...ten in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

A letter from Billy, a homeless man known for his poetic talents as he wanders Colfax Avenue, offering his poetry in exchange for monetary support. This letter contains the opening paragraph of his work, 'The Rain That Falls,' written in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

The State Capitol Building, ove...owntown Denver, Colorado. 2018.

The State Capitol Building, overlooking Colfax Avenue in downtown Denver, Colorado. 2018.

The State Capitol Building over...town Denver, Colorado, in 2018.

The State Capitol Building overlooking Colfax Avenue, over a terrace in downtown Denver, Colorado, in 2018.

Discovered postcard from 1974 f...downtown Denver, Colorado. 2018

Discovered postcard from 1974 featuring downtown Denver, Colorado. 2018

Will, a 14-year-old boy, left h...fuge in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Will, a 14-year-old boy, left his hometown in Texas for undisclosed reasons, seeking refuge in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

A road motel sign stands along ... state. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

A road motel sign stands along the nearly 50-mile stretch of Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado. This road, once an essential stop on the main route connecting the East and West, has now become a focal point for issues such as prostitution, drug deals, and transient populations in a city that houses 68% of the homeless population in the state. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

An old postcard from a vintage ...mp;#39; Denver, Colorado. 2018.

An old postcard from a vintage road motel on Colfax Avenue. On the back, the inscription reads, 'Stayed Here, July 24, 1966.' Denver, Colorado. 2018.

PLAY

STOP

GRID

FULL

LOVE

Thumbnail of Colfax Avenue, the longest stree_ States. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of Pete. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of A Holiday Inn motel postcard on _ Avenue. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of Mark, a 32-year-old man, found h_unhealthy habits and addictions.

Thumbnail of Family dinner at road Motel in Denver. 2018.

Thumbnail of Mark's young daughter in_ys in Denver, Colorado, in 2018.

Thumbnail of Mark's young son in Denver, Colorado, in 2018.

Thumbnail of Mark's motel. Denver, 2018.

Thumbnail of Night at the bar. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of Picking up a passenger at the Sa_ Lounge. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of Two friends shared a marijuana j_venue in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of Mark's hand gently brush_ food in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of A vacant parking lot within an a_ mall in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of Colfax Avenue, mile 12. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of Colfax Avenue, mile 30. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of Colfax Avenue, Downtown Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of A letter from Billy, a homeless _tten in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of The State Capitol Building, over_downtown Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of The State Capitol Building overl_ntown Denver, Colorado, in 2018.

Thumbnail of Discovered postcard from 1974 fe_ downtown Denver, Colorado. 2018

Thumbnail of Will, a 14-year-old boy, left hi_efuge in Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of A road motel sign stands along t_e state. Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Thumbnail of An old postcard from a vintage r_amp;#39; Denver, Colorado. 2018.

Public Story

COLFAX

Copyright Javier Alvarez 2024

Date of Work Dec 1969 - Ongoing

Updated May 2020

Location Colfax Avenue, Denver

Topics Documentary, Mixed Medium, Photography, Portraiture, Spotlight

Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado, is the longest street in the US, spanning nearly 40 miles (81km) of pavement. This series chronicles an 8-month period in my life as a taxi driver, capturing interactions with people in transit, the nightlife, roadside motels, and abandoned communities on this very same road. It serves as a travel diary, reflecting the experience of immigration and living in one of the cities that accommodates a third of the country's homeless population.