After a years-long process, the Denver Public Library Commission has approved a new name for the Ross-Barnum Branch Library in west Denver.
The Barnum neighborhood library will now be known as the Ross-Phyllis Bigpond Branch Library.
The branch and the neighborhood itself were named after P.T. Barnum, the 19th-century showman and politician who never lived in Denver but owned land in the area.
While Barnum made his name as the creator of the circus acts Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, he also exploited people of color and people with disabilities in the name of entertainment.
Library officials began asking residents in 2023 whether they would like to rename the branch given its namesake’s controversial history.
The new part of the new name is in honor of Phyllis Bigpond, who founded the Denver Indian Family Resource Center in 2000. Bigpond was a member of the Yuchi Tribe of Oklahoma and dedicated her life and career to the health of Indigenous community members. Bigpond died in 2009.
“Renaming this library is more than a tribute — it’s a celebration of Phyllis Bigpond’s enduring impact on our community,” Councilwoman and Community Renaming Committee member Jamie Torres said in a statement.
“Ross” will carry over from the previous name. That comes from Frederick Ross, a Colorado business owner about whom not much is known. (If you have the intel, tell us.)
A 17-member committee representing Barnum led the renaming process. A group of library employees reviewed and researched all potential names.
