DENVER (AP) _ Bill Weinberger was set to buy his $497,000 dream house in a prestigious Denver suburb when he learned the name of his would-be neighborhood: Swastika Acres 2.

Even though Weinberger had asked his real estate agent to draw up a sales contract, he abruptly changed his plans.

``I told them not only no, but hell no,″ Weinberger, a Denver businessman who is Jewish, said Tuesday.

The agent found the subdivision’s name during a check of property records. It dates back to a corporation called the Denver Swastika Land Co. founded in 1908, well before before the Nazi Party in Germany was established and adopted the swastika as a symbol of racial superiority.

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``How could 57 families live there and not petition to change the name?″ Weinberger asked. ``We’re talking upper-crust Denver. That’s startling.″

Saul Rosenthal, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League office in Denver, said complaints about Swastika Acres _ a subdivision in Cherry Hills Village _ tend to resurface every few years.

``There’s no intended bigotry associated with it. Every now and then, somebody moves in there and is surprised, and I don’t blame them,″ he said. ``I certainly don’t see this as a substantial issue facing our community.″

An ancient symbol, the swastika has been found on Greek coins, on Scandinavian artifacts and in the catacombs of early Christians. The swastika also was used by early American Indians as a symbol of infinity and can be found on pottery and rugs.