Here at DenverUrbanism we’ve been documenting the significant street reconstruction projects in and around Downtown Denver’s Civic Center district, and Ryan’s been doing a great job over at DenverInfill capturing in photos the various infill construction occurring around Civic Center. Today, I’m happy to provide even more evidence of just how much construction activity is taking place in Downtown Denver’s Civic Center district.
Last weekend I was out and about and took the following photos:
Bannock Street reconstruction in front of the City and County Building: As I discussed in a previous post, this project includes removing a lane of traffic, expanding the sidewalks, adding a southbound bike lane and a northbound cycle track, and adding a mid-block pedestrian crossing at the east-west Civic Center Park axis:
The City and County Building is also undergoing a major renovation. All of the windows will be restored, the exterior stone facade cleaned, and the grand steps to the front entrance restored and waterproofed:
Back in 2009 and 2010, Civic Center Park’s Voorhees Memorial, Greek Amphitheater, and McNichols Building were restored in time for the Biennial of the Americas. Now, another portion of Civic Center Park is getting a major makeover in a project known as the Broadway Terrace Restoration—the part of the park just west of Broadway. This also includes the removal of the right-turn-lane to Broadway from Colfax, discussed in this post.
The new $36 million, LEED-certified Denver Police Department Crime Lab building is about to begin construction. It will be located immediately north of the Denver Police HQ on the south side of W. 14th Avenue between Delaware and Cherokee, across the street from the back side of the Denver Mint. Here is the site:
Here are renderings of the new crime lab from the project’s webpage at denvergov.org.
Finally, I’ll leave you with this bonus photo: When’s the last time (if ever) the City and County Building’s cupola and the State Capitol’s dome have been covered by scaffolding at the same time?
These projects represent just a fraction of the $550 million Better Denver Bond Program. By the end of 2010, 85% of the 291 projects were either complete or under construction. Many of the larger projects, however, were scheduled toward the end of the program, so 2011 will see many major projects under construction, such as those we’ve been documenting here at DenverUrbanism. Just about everywhere you go in Denver, you run into infrastructure projects under construction—a sign of a thriving city that knows what it must do to stay vibrant and competitive.
Great update. Unfortunately, the preponderance of government buildings around Civic Center mean that it will continue to be a failure.
I totally agree. Why isn’t the city of Denver doing what they can to give developers and landowners in the Civic center some sort of “incentive” to build some residential? The neighborhood is literally (and I mean literally) dying for it!
I get where you guys are going, but it’s not like you could have dropped a bunch of condos on the same lot as DPD headquarters. Or right off Colfax next to the dead zone that is the Silver Triangle for that matter, at least not yet. There are plenty of parking lots on more ped friendly interior streets that can still save the neighborhood, and increase (at least somewhat) use of the park.
I did not expect the crime lab to actually be a creatively designed building. The could film CSI Denver there in the future.
Awesome! Now all the whinos will have a nicer place to lay around all day and kill the new grass. Why on earth would you want to build residential in this area when it is a huge tarnish for the C & C of Denver? It’s sad enough that Civic Center Park could be an awesome venue for residents and visitors alike but when the urban campers do nothing but hang out all day once they wake up from the wonderful bike trails of Cherry Creek. Too bad it’s going to be like putting lipstick on a pig.