Denver is a city with a spectacular history starting in mid-1850. It was the gateway to the West with 4-railroads feeding Union Station built in 1881 near Downtown, together with an expansive rail-yard of track. The area around the railroad became the hub of Denver’s commerce with 2-4 story brick storehouses and factories built through-out the area. Perhaps in the “then” popular notion of “urban renewal”, almost 20-percent of these buildings were demolished in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The “urban renewal” theme continued into the 1980’s with the construction of some high-rise apartment and condominium buildings in the Downtown area.          

In the mid-1980’s, the City of Denver’s vision began to change. Rather than tearing down old buildings only to replace them with high-density towers, the new thinking was to embrace Denver’s history and in the process restore the vibrancy of Downtown Denver as it was at the turn-of-the-century. The City decided to pursue centralizing its commercial and entertainment interests within the Downtown area rather than fleeing to the suburbs.

In 1988, the Lower Downtown Historic District was formed to preserve and encourage restoration of a 27-block area that included 120 historic buildings. Renovation and conversion of these historic buildings began. Restaurants, boutique shops, cafes, coffee houses, jazz clubs, wine bars, book stores, and many more businesses returned. Many of the existing historic buildings were converted into residential condominiums, lofts and townhomes. Coors Field, home to Colorado Rockies baseball, was constructed in 1995, followed by the Pepsi Center, home to Denver Nuggets basketball, in 2000. In 2002, the Ballpark Historic District was formed with a similar intent for this 20-block area. During this decade, the Millennium Bridge was built to span the rail-yard to the west, then the Platte Pedestrian Bridge over the South Platte River, followed by the Highland Bridge spanning Interstate-25.

In addition to the Downtown sports facilities, you will find shopping and dining at the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall, Larimer Square, Denver Pavilions, and Writers Square in Downtown Denver.

For the Downtown resident, everything is a short walk or a bus/train/shuttle ride away. If you seek cultural entertainment, you can visit the Denver Center for Performing Arts, Denver Art Museum, Colorado History Museum, Denver Public Library, Elie Caulkins Opera House, Colorado Convention Center, or the Paramount Theatre.

For those seeking an outdoors experience, you may consider a walk through Civic Center Park, a bike ride on the Cherry Creek bike path, or a picnic in one of the 90-acres of parks along the South Platte River Central Valley.

Whether you are looking for a modern high-rise luxury condominium experience complete with 24-hour concierge service or a converted warehouse loft, you can find it in Downtown Denver.