Today, for my 100th post on DenverInfill, I am going to update you on Denver’s most extraordinary project: Denver Union Station. As you know, the historic station is now closed and will be renovated over the next two years. But that’s not all the exciting news! Both wing buildings are under construction as well as the enormous, beautiful commuter rail canopy. Let’s take a look!
These two pictures give you an idea of how large this canopy is going to be. It’s only about 25% complete and will span all the way across the historic station.
The North (red crane) and South (yellow crane) wing buildings are fully under construction. As a refresher, these are 5-story buildings not to exceed the cornice line of the historic station.
When traveling north on Wynkoop Street, you can see both tower cranes up for the new wing buildings. It’s quite a sight seeing so much construction going on around Union Station.
Going down the 16th Street Mall towards the Millennium Bridge, both lanes are now open for the mall shuttles.
Over on Wewatta Street, you can see two things: Wewatta Street itself is nearing completion and the structure for the Wewatta Pavilion is in place. Cadence is also beginning to rise above the street as well!
Finally, some additional views of the entire redevelopment. Here you can see the sheer size of the commuter rail canopy. Cadence is also beginning to make a small presence. You can no longer see the north side of Union Station from Millennium Bridge!
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the private-sector development planned for this neighborhood. With the station also closed for renovation and construction of the hotel, I am very excited to see what everything will look like in 2014 when the project is scheduled for completion.
Ryan, congratulations on your 100th post! You’ve done an awesome job as a DenverInfill contributor… I can’t thank you enough!
Thanks Ken! It’s been an amazing experience and opportunity so far!
Any word on the Mizpah arch? I think a reconstruction of the original would look great at 17th & Wewatta near the Wewatta Pavilion.
Reading the Board Meeting minutes for DUSPA, the arch was going to be recreated as a ground inlay somewhere on the grounds. However, the artist for the project was essentially fired, and last I saw they are looking for a new artist. The art budget is not that large, and unless the new artist can keep costs low, the arch may or may not be present in any form.
I think building a replica of the arch was a stupid idea anyway. A ground inlay would be fine though.
a ground inlay?…does that mean on the sidewalk?
Yes – it sounded like it would be a design in the sidewalk or a walkway.
Great job on your posts, Ryan! A lot of us are like sponges and the more information you put out there for us, the more we soak it up. I’d be curious to hear how you and Ken decide on which subjects to blog about on any particular day. Do you guys just drive around and say to yourself “that building would make a good topic of conversation..” Perhaps you could take polls from your “followers” who might suggest other areas of interest that might go unnoticed.
Either way – we really appreciate the work you put in to highlight the changes occurring throughout the city.
thanks.
As far as infill goes, if there’s a sign, construction equipment, etc. I’ll try to see who’s developing the site, do some background research and make a post. A lot comes in through email too, so if Ken has a site I am unaware of , we’ll figure out when a good time is to cover it. I also wander around a lot and just look for development and check on sites that are being whispered about. Ken helps me out a lot, has a ton of valuable information, and knows a lot developers, architects, and planners so if I have any questions about a particular project Ken will most likely know. What I’m trying to say is Ken is the ultimate infill / urban master and knows pretty much everything that’s going on. 🙂
There is a renovation going on at 29th and Huron in the Prospect neighborhood. Any idea what it might be?
Have you guys thought about installing Lightbox for larger images/slideshows? It’s pretty slick and makes sharing larger media super smooth.
The train hall is going to be beautiful. Some people don’t like the oculus in the center of the hall roof. I think it is brilliant since it preserves the view of the mountains from the mezzanine level of Union Station and the view of the Union Station sign from Little Raven and Lower Highland. Are there canopies over the train boarding areas (parallel to the tracks) to keep rain/snow off people? That would be sufficient.
there are…most of the renderings show an opaque headcover above the tracks but within the oculus….this thing is going to be beautiful!
see here -> http://www.denverunionstation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=14
Dirt is being moved on the parcel just north of the 18th street pedestrian bridge in the Union Station neighborhood. Any thoughts on a new project?
Just researched the blog and it must be the Alta City House project getting started.