DENVER
One of the most exciting projects in downtown Denver in decades will open in July with the restoration of the city’s Union Station.
The historic train terminal will be home to eight new restaurants and dining spots, a branch of the famous Tattered Cover Bookstore, a local Little Man hand-churned ice cream shop, a cocktail lounge and beer garden, retail stores, and the independent 112-room Crawford Hotel.
The station will also fulfill its original role as the “Grand Central Station” of Denver – the city’s major ground transportation hub. AMTRAK and Light Rail will arrive at a new 8-track terminal behind the station, while express and local buses will use a 22-bay underground complex (with service starting on May 12, 2014). Coming in 2016 will be direct commuter rail service from Union Station to Denver International Airport.
Free electric shuttle buses will leave from Union Station and travel up and down the 16th Street Mall, stopping on every corner. A new free shuttle, called Denver MetroRide, will leave Union Station to travel up and down 18th and 19th streets, stopping every two-to-three blocks. The two shuttles will make it easy to get virtually anywhere in downtown Denver at no cost.
Components of the project include:
Union Station Upgrades
In the late 1800s, it was the railroads that made Denver the largest and most important city between St. Louis and San Francisco. By 1880, there were dozens of railroads passing through Denver, and the city had four stations.
Jay Gould and Walter Cheesman consolidated this network into one central location called Union Depot. Although nothing remains of the original station which burned down, the current wings were part of an 1895 rebuilding. The central depot, designed in the Beaux Arts style by local architects Gove and Walsh, was completed in 1914. The restored station will incorporate dozens of details from the “Golden Age” of railroading.
The old waiting room will be re-christened “The Great Hall.” With its soaring arched windows and architectural details, this grand room will be open to the public 24-7. The old ticket windows are being turned into The Terminal Bar, which will feature more than 30 Colorado craft beers and will open onto to a huge outdoor patio overlooking a new park at the front of the station along Wynkoop Street.
Looking down on the Great Hall from a terrace above, The Cooper Lounge will offer a glamorous old-Hollywood vibe with high-end cocktails and an extensive wine list. In the wings of the Great Hall will be the new hotel and a mixture of restaurants and retail.
The Crawford Hotel
This high-end, elegant independent 112-room hotel is being built as part of the redevelopment of Denver’s Union Station and will be run by Sage Hospitality and affiliated with the existing 80-room Oxford Hotel, located across the street. The Crawford will have 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
The hotel is named after local developer and preservationist Dana Crawford, who in 1969 was responsible for preserving Larimer Square and transforming the block of brick and stone Victorian buildings into one of the city’s hippest shopping, dining and entertainment centers. It was the first re-developed city center historic area in the nation, predating the development of Boston’s Faneuil Hall and New York’s South Street Seaport. Dana Crawford is also involved in the redevelopment of Union Station.
The hotel will come with three styles of rooms. The "Pullman" rooms on the second floor are modeled after the luxury private sleeping cars of old. The "Classic" rooms on the third floor come with tall ceilings and large windows. The former attic area will host "Loft" rooms, featuring exposed wood timbers, vaulted ceilings and a contemporary design.
To make the most of the architectural features, most of the rooms in the hotel will be one-of-a-kind designs and shapes.
The hotel will share meeting space and The Oxford Club Spa with the award-winning Oxford Hotel across the street. Another architectural gem, The Oxford is Denver’s oldest hotel, built in 1892 and designed by the same architect as the Brown Palace Hotel, Frank E. Edbrooke.
