DenverInfill Blog

By the 1960s, and into the 1970s, the familiar story of urban decline in American cities materialized in Denver. Airplanes and automobiles eclipsed railroad transportation, thereby weakening the pull of Union Station on downtown business. Population shifts to the suburbs undermined the downtown retail base as suburban developers began to add shopping centers in their communities. With the metropolitan area rapidly expanding, Denver’s several public and privately owned transit systems strained to serve the growing population. Air pollution escalated with the increased use of cars, and Downtown streets became severely congested.

The rumblings of a mall on 16th Street began as early as 1959, but the idea was not seriously considered until 1971 with a study jointly undertaken by the City and Downtown Denver, Inc. The Mall concept was seen as a means to enhance urban redevelopment, help Downtown retailers compete with the suburban centers and reduce pollution and congestion.

While early attempts to create a smaller version of the Mall were unsuccessful, the project found its start with a federal grant for design and engineering fees from the Urban Mass Transportation Administration or “UMTA” in February 1978. Funding for the construction of the Mall was granted in April 1979.

Federal funding hinged on the successful integration of pedestrian/transit interests in the Mall’s design, in combination with local interests to revitalize Downtown. An Architectural Task Force was assembled from RTD’s Board, who solicited and weighed proposals from architectural firms. Of the six finalists, I.M. Pei & Partners of New York was selected due to the firm’s commitment to “preserve that peculiar essence we call Denver, [to] enhance the historical and physical orientation toward the mountains as well as our capitol and government center, and [to] help us strive to fulfill the great potential of our urban core area.”

As with any project, the architectural design of the Mall evolved over time as Pei and his design team, headed by partner Henry N. Cobb, the designer of the famous John Hancock tower in Boston, consulted with the various groups and interests involved: RTD, the City, Downtown Denver, Inc., UMTA, and various citizen groups such as the business, environmental, and disabled communities. The end result sought to transform the street into an attractive pedestrian experience that allowed for the convenient passage and use of the free shuttle fleet, which connected with the majority of RTD’s bus lines at the transfer stations at either end of the Mall.

The main feature of the 16th Street Mall project was of course the pedestrian area between Broadway and Market Street. While 16th Street was to be closed to all vehicular traffic except the shuttles, the cross streets were to remain open. The Mall’s design called for a symmetrical central portion that ran from Arapahoe Street to Tremont Place, with a 22-foot pedestrian zone located in the middle of the street and 10-foot shuttle paths on either side. The sidewalks were also to be widened to 19 feet on both sides of the street. Double rows of alternating honey locust trees and specially designed post lanterns in the pedestrian median would provide shade and appropriate lighting while allowing for visibility of the buildings (and business tenants) running the length of the street. Asymmetrical sections at both ends of the Mall, with widened East sidewalks of 35 feet in width and a reduced pedestrian median of six feet in width, allowed for greater pedestrian flow near the RTD transfer facilities. Red oaks were to be planted in a staggered pattern within the wider 35-foot sidewalks at both ends of the Mall, while the post lanterns would remain in the pedestrian aisle between the shuttle paths. This asymmetrical arrangement helped to preserve the sight lines of the State Capitol building and the D&F Tower at Arapahoe Street.

Other important architectural features of the Mall included the granite paving and the post lanterns. Over 283,000 square feet of granite pavers were installed on the Mall in three different colors: red, quarried in Colorado; light grey, from Massachusetts; and dark grey, from Minnesota. These colors were arranged to create various medallion patterns that helped distinguish the shuttle paths, pedestrian median, and sidewalks from one another, and gave the overall effect of the patterned skin of a Western Diamondback rattlesnake. Granite was chosen based on the recommendations of I.M. Pei & Partners because of its durability, beauty, low maintenance costs, climate appropriateness, and non-slip qualities (unfortunately, a design flaw and faulty installation of the paving has led to performance problems that require continual and costly maintenance). The post lanterns, designed to provide security, beauty, and visibility, gradually turn on as the daylight fades, transitioning from day to night seamlessly and casting light on the buildings and businesses lining the Mall.