It’s been a little while since we’ve touched base on the Denver Union StationĀ redevelopment so today let’s take a look around and see what’s happening around here!
Let’s start out with one of the most exciting elements of the entire project: the train shed canopy. The south end of the canopy is beginning to go vertical (which willĀ mimicĀ the north side) and you can see rail platforms beginning to be built as well! If you look carefully in the middle picture, fences have been put up for the 1650 Wewatta tower and a construction trailer is now on site. Awesome!
Heading to the front of the station, construction is in full swing for both of the wing buildings. The north wing building has broken street level and we should see this rise quickly. It seemed like a long process to get to this point but that’s because there are underground parkingĀ structuresĀ to be built.
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When heading down Chestnut, 17th and 18th Street provide great views of the train canopy as well as the historic station. There will be a pedestrian bridge connecting 18th Street from the Union Station Neighborhood to Lower Downtown over the commuter rail tracks; one of many connections to get to either side. Also, Cadence is making quite the street presence down 17th Street!
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Speaking of bridges, we have two great bridges connecting Central Platte Valley to the Union Station Neighborhood (which also provide great views of the development). Here are the views from both theĀ MillenniumĀ Bridge as well as the 18th Street Pedestrian Bridge. Look at all those tower cranes!
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This redevelopment is always quite a sight to see and with two more infill projects starting, it’s starting to become a thrilling reality from what once was a distant vision.
what is the 2nd infill project that will be starting besides 1650 Wewatta?
Alta City House!
Great to see the canopy finally coming out of the ground and taking shape. It begins to make the whole development real.
Thanks for the great update and photos, Ryan. Any idea when Wewatta Street will re-open?
Such a joke to call that a “canopy.” A canopy covers something. That structure is nothing more than a glorification of the reich that is paying for it.
Looks like that canopy covers a portion of the platforms. Therefore, it most certainly is a canopy.
Now, is it a train shed? I would say definitely not.
The “reich” is overseeing the construction of the canopy. Make no mistake, the plebs are paying for it.
What???
If you look carefully, the canopy covers the platforms for the East Rail Line (platform 1, next to Union Station) and the Northwest Rail Line (at the far side from Union Station), as well as the far ends of the other platforms.
The middle sections of the North Metro / Amtrak and Amtrak / Gold Line platforms are covered by more conventional canopies (which are actually visible in the photos already).
I suspect that this overly clever design will do badly whenever the wind blows the rain sideways. It’ll work quite well for rain dropping straight down vertically, however.
Wait…it rains in Denver? š
Again, What????
Are those contractor trailers I see at 16th & Wewatta? I wonder if that means 1650 Wewatta will be starting soon.
I hope public and private interests can come together to keep the corridor to the south of the train station canopy an open plaza without a building. The sunshine during the winter months alone is worth the dollars gained by a small office building in that square on 16th street. The view of the canopy is great and the view from the trains to the sw will be great.
I will speak out to pursue a solution in order to make this area even greater by NOT building something!!