DENVER — The sound of construction on the 16th Street Mall is music to the ears of the Downtown Denver Partnership, which just reopened the newly revitalized section of the pedestrian mall between Larimer and Lawrence Streets.
"Almost two years ago, we started a project to invest $150 million into the heart of our city," said Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership. "This is a full infrastructure redo of 16th Street, all of the blocks leading all the way up to Civic Center."
On Wednesday, a block party was held to showcase the mall's new additions, the results of the major renovation project.
"We have the 'Beehive,' which is a wonderful playscape," said Garrett. "You also see new tables and chairs and a new landscape. What you don't see is the infrastructure beneath the new pavers that's provided for new tree wells, which has allowed us to increase our tree canopy overall by 50%. That means more shade and more time that you can enjoy the outdoors here in the heart of downtown Denver."
The opening comes as downtown Denver continues to struggle, although economic experts say the number of people heading downtown is bouncing back.
"What we're seeing right now is about 70% of the foot traffic we saw pre-pandemic. So we need to revitalize that," said Adeed Khan, executive director of the Denver Economic Development and Opportunity.
Visitors will also notice the newly expanded patio dining areas, which the owner of Blue Agave, a restaurant on the mall for the last eight years, said could increase her business by 25%.
"That's what kept us going, too; we could see the vision. We understood that it was going to take time and that it was going to be hard, but we're here. We made it," said Brenda Lucio, co-owner of Blue Agave.
The other businesses on the mall, still surrounded by construction, are patiently waiting for their blocks to reopen.
"It has impacted foot traffic. Just because I feel like a lot of pedestrians get confused and lost, because it's kind of a maze," said Joannah Castro, assistant general manger for Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery.
Rock Bottom has been a long-time staple of 16th Street Mall, opening in 1991.
According to the Downtown Denver Partnership, the mall was initially designed for a life span of 30 years.
"I'm just very excited to see what it's actually supposed to look like," said Castro.
Other blocks of the 16th Street Mall will progressively open through the spring and fall of next year.
"We have had a very intense focus on security here in downtown Denver for really the last two years, and we've seen remarkable improvements over that time. If you look around now, you see people, you see color, you see vibrancy. So we feel confident that some of our greatest challenges are over," said Garrett.
"There are some perceptions about what downtown is, and I think if individuals have the opportunity to come down to the first block that's open, see the new amenities that have opened up, and experience 16th Street for yourself, and you'll see a great place," said Khan.
The following are renderings of the amenities planned for future blocks of the 16th Street Mall:
