The Union Station Alliance 1701 Wynkoop St., Denver, CO

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1 Nominee (Full name of organization): The Union Station Alliance 1701 Wynkoop St., Denver, CO Contact Person First Name/Last Name: Julie Dunn The Nominee is an organization. 1. Give a brief summary (300 words) of the Phoenix nominated project and its relationship to tourism. (Please include when the project was completed) One of the most exciting projects in the history of Denver happened on July 12, 2014 with the opening of the $500 million restoration of the city s Union Station. The historic 1914 train terminal, which was virtually abandoned and had fallen into disrepair, is now home to eight restaurants, a branch of the famous Tattered Cover Bookstore, a cocktail lounge and beer garden, and the independent 112-room Crawford Hotel. Local powerhouse chefs Jen Jasinski (winner of the 2013 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest) and Alex Seidel (Food & Wine s Top New Chef of the Year 2010) both own restaurants in the new complex. The station also fulfills its original role as the Grand Central Station of Denver the city s major ground transportation hub. AMTRAK and Light Rail arrive at a new 8-track terminal behind the station, while express and local buses use 32 underground bus bays. Coming in 2016 will be direct commuter rail service from Union Station to Denver International Airport. Free electric shuttle buses leave from Union Station and travel up and down the 16 th Street Mall, Denver s mile-long pedestrian promenade, stopping on every corner. When the new rail line from DIA opens in 2016, it is estimated that 100,000 people will pass through the restored station every day, as opposed to a few hundred just several years ago. 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, which were combined into the Beaux Arts style Union Station, finished in By the 2010, Denver was down to just two trains a day and the railroad station was virtually abandoned. The Union Station Alliance was created as a team of retailers, hoteliers and restaurant developers working with the Regional Transportation District and Amtrak to restore the station. The restored station incorporates dozens of details from the Golden Age of railroading.

2 The old waiting room was re-christened The Great Hall. With its soaring arched windows and architectural details, this grand room is open to the public The old ticket windows were turned into The Terminal Bar, which features more than 30 Colorado craft beers, which are now purchased through the ticket windows. The high-end, elegant independent 112-room Crawford hotel is named after local developer and preservationist Dana Crawford, who in 1969 was responsible for preserving Larimer Square and transforming a block of historic buildings into the city s hippest shopping, dining and entertainment centers State the nominee's significant (measurable or documented) contribution to the preservation, conservation, or beautification of the travel area involved. The area around Union Station has been designed the Lower Downtown Historic District (or LoDo, as it is known locally). In 26 square blocks there are 119 historic structures, mostly warehouses and mercantile buildings that were transformed into breweries, bars, restaurants, shops, offices and condominiums in the 1990s and early 2000s. It is one of the largest concentrations of historic buildings in the United States. The one large missing piece in the neighborhood was Union Station, which was owned by the Regional Transportation District (RTD) and used literally for only two trains a day. The wings of the building were used as RTD offices. Two restaurants and a nightclub had been tried, but had failed. The entrance to the station was a two block long surface parking area. Behind the station was an area of open land that had formerly been a flood plain and was empty of all structures. This land sloped down to the South Platte River, which was lined with parks and bike paths. RTD created an open competition for restoration of the station granted the Union Station Alliance a 99-year lease of the building. Colorado companies involved in the Union Station Alliance are Larimer Associates (which owns and operates the successful Larimer Square among other restaurants), McWhinney, REGen, LLC., Sage Hospitality (the hotel firm that owned the Oxford Hotel across the street from the station, the oldest hotel in the city) and Urban Neighborhoods. The Union Station Alliance won the project through an open competition with the idea to preserve the historical integrity of the building, while restoring it with a new hotel, restaurants and shops, and also making it once again the transportation hub of downtown Denver. With the restoration of the station, the entire neighborhood has changed. The two block long surface parking lot has been replaced with a park one half of which is devoted to fountains, the other half to a tree-lined plaza. More than 8,000 apartment units are currently under construction along with a million square feet of retail and office space in a half mile circle around Union Station. Some 80 new restaurants opened in Denver in August 2014 alone, many in the historic area surrounding the station. LoDo now has more than 90 breweries, restaurants, rooftop cafes and bars. LINKS: Links to articles about the success of the project can be found at:

3 3. Was the community involved in this effort? XX Yes No If yes, explain how the community was involved in this project? (If appropriate, list other agencies/ resources/organizations assisted in the project). RTD is funded by sales tax collected in the seven Metro Denver counties, an area the size of Connecticut. Through the open competition, all 3 million metro residents had the ability to participate in public forums to discuss the project. The City of Denver also participated by supplying land and streetscape work to change the street patterns to allow the bus terminal to be moved from the 16 th Street Mall to underground beneath the new station transportation center in the rear of the station What impact has this project had on the local community? (Please share specifics to gauge scale of impact and sustainability) It would not be an understatement to say the project has completely transformed the north section of downtown Denver, taking an area that eight years ago was dark and virtually abandoned and transforming it into the new center of the city, a people-oriented placed surrounded by historic buildings and alive with shopping, dining, entertainment, breweries, parks and development, including new hotels (a new 200-room Kimpton is under construction adjacent to the station) and there are 8,000 apartment units and a million square feet of office/retail space also under construction, most of it within view of the station. It will provide a gorgeous front door to Denver to the millions of people who will arrive downtown on the new commuter rail service from Denver International Airport. Starting in 2016, passengers at DIA will take a 35 minute train (that leaves every 15 minutes) and arrive on the track adjacent to historic Union Station. Passing through the grand terminal they will arrive at a transportation center where they can board a free electric bus for transportation up the Mall (all 9,300 downtown hotel rooms are within a block or two of the Mall) or go to a cab stand where they can get cabs or Uber transportation. Short term car rentals and bike rentals are also available at the station. The station has greatly added to the livability of downtown Denver, which is literally booming with new housing, restaurants and shopping. The two new parks in front of the station have become a gathering place and perhaps the most popular outdoor park in all of downtown Denver. Every publication from the New York Times to USA Today has proclaimed the Union Station restoration to be the most important project in downtown Denver in decades, completely changing the character of the city. It is a testament that historic preservation can go hand-in-hand with economic development and that preservation of historic buildings can become the centerpiece to revitalizing a neighborhood. 5. List what challenges or obstacles the nominee had to overcome to meet the project's objectives. (For example, funding, politics, development, etc.) At times the obstacles seem unsurmountable, which is why the station had sat abandoned for so long. RTD was charged with transportation, not economic development. The station was a financial drain and providing only office space. RTD already had a perfectly functioning bus terminal and downtown Light Rail stations, so moving them would involve cost of building new facilities which abandoning the old.

4 The building itself was in disrepair. To follow historic preservation for hotel rooms would be wildly expensive because putting in all new plumbing and electrical work would have to go under the floor. The same applied for restaurants. It was going to be a complex jigsaw puzzle to figure out how to put modern amenities into the structure without changing historic details. In addition, AMTRAK would have to move their station out of downtown for two years while the building was under construction, a gigantic underground hole would have to be created for the new underground bus terminal, and financing for the $500 million project would have to be put together. There were many divergent views from neighbors, historic preservationists, politicians and citizens on what should be in the building, what should be in front of it, how the bus and rail lines should be organized, and other features. It took great teamwork, dedication, and brilliant designs to keep the project on track and moving forward. 6. List chronologically the schedule of major activities undertaken to complete the project. 1. 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 In 2011, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) owners of the building started an open competition for the restoration of the station. At this time, the station had only RTD offices and two daily AMTRAK trains. 3. On December 22, 2011, the RTD Board voted 14-0 to give the Union Station Alliance a 60-year lease on the building with the stipulation that all preservation efforts would be reviewed by the Denver Landmarks Preservation Commission and The National Park Service. Dana Crawford, a partner of the Alliance and the woman responsible for preserving Larimer Square, had been working on this project to restore the station for more than 30 years. Local Colorado companies involved in the Denver Union Station project include Larimer Associates, McWhinney, REGen, LLC, Sage Hospitality and Urban Neighborhoods. The project was overseen by construction company Milender White and the hotel design was created by JG Johnson Architects and Tryba Architects. The Great Hall, Cooper Lounge and Terminal Bar were designed by New York s AvroKO. 4. May 22, 2013, the first tenants of the building were announced. 5. November, 13, It is announced that the new hotel will be named The Crawford, in honor of Denver preservationist Dana Crawford.

5 6. July 26, 2014 was the official Denver Union Station Grand Opening Celebration will be held on Saturday, July 26 with a street festival from 10 a.m. 3 p.m. Presented by FirstBank, this free community celebration featured food trucks, vendors, family activities and live music. The official Denver Union Station Opening Ceremony will be held at noon with Sen. Michael Bennet, Rep. Dianna Degette and Union Station Alliance partners. ABOUT ME, THE NOMINATOR: Associate Member richgrantdenver@outlook.com I visit the restored Union Station almost weekly (as, it sometimes seems, does most of Denver). It is spectacular and succeeds on every level. Having been familiar with the station for 40 years, it has preserved all of the important historic features of the great terminal with its 65-foot ceilings, waiting benches, chandeliers, train announcements, and historic outside lighting, including the famous Travel by Train neon signs. Inside, it is a spectacular space, always filled with people, enlivened by bars, seating areas, shuffleboard, work stations (with free power and wifi), and my favorite feature, the ability to purchase craft beer through the old ticket widows. The entire building is licensed, so once you have a beer, you make go anywhere in the station or take it into any of the restaurants. I retired from Visit Denver in January 1, 2015 and have no financial alliance with the city, the station or anyone else. Nominee s name: UNION STATION ALLIANCE Nominator s name: IF SELECTED: The plaque should be sent to: 664 South Clarkson Denver, CO richgrantdenver@outlook.com

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