As we are reviewing the residential and non-residential projects around Downtown Denver, it is also time for a tower crane census. In our census last year, we counted a total of thirty-two tower cranes, which was an impressive, record-setting number. Will there be more this time around? Scroll down to find out!
Before we begin, here is a quick disclaimer of what we classify as a tower crane, and our geographical boundaries:
This census is for tower cranes only. Self-erecting cranes (cranes without a ladder mast or cab) on smaller builds are not counted. We are covering the number of tower cranes in Central Denver only: between Sheridan and Colorado Boulevard to the east-west, Yale to I-70 to the north-south. Tower cranes out by Denver International Airport and the Denver Tech Center will not be counted in this census.
Let the count begin! Tower cranes One, Two, Three, and Four belong to projects out in West Denver that we have not yet covered. One of those projects, featuring two tower cranes, is a large condo project at Sloans Lake.
Five, Six, Seven, and Eight belong to neighborhoods that only have one tower crane standing: River North (for The HUB), Lower Highland (for 2680 18th Street), Central Platte Valley (for AMLI Riverfront Green), and Baker (for a project we have yet to cover).
Union Station contributes four tower cranes to our census. Number Nine belongs to the Hilton Garden Inn at Denver Union Station, Ten was recently erected for Ascent Union Station, Eleven is helping build The Coloradan, and Twelve will be taken down soon over at The Grand.
Another group of four tower cranes are high above Arapahoe Square with three of them concentrated along the Welton Corridor. Number Thirteen and Fourteen are building the 21st and Welton Apartments with Fifteen building Alexan Arapahoe Square the next block over. Sixteen is just around the corner at Alexan 20th Street Station.
Uptown/City Park West host three tower cranes. Number Seventeen belongs to SOVA, Eighteen is a smaller tower crane helping build Emerson Place, and Nineteen is over at the Park 17 project.
Four tower cranes are busy building projects over in the Golden Triangle. Twenty and Twenty-One belong to the 16-story Parq on Speer project. Twenty-Two was recently erected for the 13th and Delaware Apartments and Twenty-Three will be taken down soon at TriVista on Speer.
The last group of four tower cranes are over in the Cherry Creek neighborhood. Twenty-Four is building a sizable project at 255 Saint Paul. Twenty-Five is over at The Laurel, a large condo project. Twenty-Six and Twenty-Seven are building Gables Jackson Street with one of the cranes being the rare-sighted luffing jib.
Twenty-Seven total tower cranes are helping build various projects around Central Denver. This is only five fewer cranes than our census from last winter. With more projects just getting underway, we shouldn’t see a decline when we take another census in the summer.
On the map below, we charted out all of the tower cranes featured in this post. Click on a pin to view the name of the project.
Do you know what is drawing all the apartment buildings to the Golden Triangle district? In Union Station there is huge public investment that the projects are capitalizing on, but what is the draw to GT? Because there will be this massive population of people living in GT soon, is the city looking to add some more public spaces/ investment to that area?
I think it’s all about the parcel/amenity ratio. Developers see the opportunity: lots of large areas of surface parking that just happen to be close to many of the arts/cultural/govt. amenities in Denver. Also, the zoning along Speer Blvd. allows for large multifamily designs, so the math works out for a developer’s bottom line.
Heck, the Dikeous just this summer bought a lot next to one they already owned in GT, so that they’re now the owner of the whole block between 12th and 13th on Cherokee. I predict that a lot more parking will be aggregated over the coming years to create at least a few more fully develop-able blocks in GT.
I don’t think GT itself is going to see lots more public investment because it abuts Civic Center, which is already in the middle of $150m in improvements to the North Building at DAM, the recent arrival of the Kirkland Museum, the complete rebuild of Civic Center Station, and of course Civic Center Park itself. I don’t think anyone in GT would say there’s a lack of good public space, but I could be wrong.
Ah that is quite a bit, I didn’t realize how much it was until you listed all of them together. I guess I’m wondering what give this area a sense of place. All the new residents of Union Station have that, what will first come to mind when people say they live in GT? It’s unclear to me right now…
I think the section of Speer blvd that borders GT has great potential to become a destination for people, but I haven’t seen any initiative by the Denver Partnership for something.
https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/646/documents/planning/Plans/Golden_Triangle_Plan.pdf
Niiice, I like it
Question – How many new construction projects do you anticipate in 2018?