Union Station may become Denver's gateway again -- if it stays on track

A A A Comments (3) By Joel Warner Thursday, Aug 14 2008

...continued from page 6

If all of the parts fall into place, Union Station and its environs may soon look very different.

The developer will set a guaranteed maximum transit construction price somewhere around $477 million with general contractor Kiewit Construction, and building will commence by spring.

Courtesy of the Union Station Neighborhood Company

An artist's rendering of what Union Station will look like in 2012.

anthony camera

Peter Park (left), Cole Finegan and Tom Gougeon help keep the project on track.

Location Info

Venue

Union Station

Map

Union Station

1701 Wynkoop St.
Denver, CO 80202

Category: Community Venues

Region: Downtown Denver

Union Station

2419 N. Union Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Category: Music Venues

Region: Southern Colorado

Details

For more images of what the new Union Station will look like, see the related slideshow. For a story on the model railroad in its basement, go to Latest Word, the Westword news blog.

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The light-rail terminal by the freight rail line is expected to be operational by fall 2009, along with an extended Mall Shuttle route running to the new terminal. A year later, the plaza in front of the station should be complete, and two years after that, the commuter rail platform area and the underground bus facility should come online, all of it ready to handle the new FasTracks rail corridors running into the station.

"Four years is not a lot of time," admits Cannon. "But the good news is there are a lot of people who have been working very hard on this for a very long time."

Marilee Utter, one of the region's authorities on transit-oriented development, welcomes the project's progress — though she offers a note of warning.

"The people behind this have a lot of good instincts. They have hired great designers," she say. "On the other hand, everyone is acting poor...money is really tight, so I hope we don't make any short-sighted decisions."

The pedestrian connection concept only works if it is designed well, she adds. "If people start cutting corners with materials or connections, that will hurt it. If the historic station is not part of the functional connectivity, that will be a travesty. The heart and soul of the whole district should be that building. If the transit doesn't work as a seamless connection for people, that's a problem. If the development isn't dense enough, that's a problem. If the public space doesn't become a great space, that's a problem."

Many Denverites have personal memories of the station's years as the city's proud civic gateway; others, who are younger, yearn for a chance to earn such memories of their own. These sentiments underlie the technical planning and number crunching around the station, fueling passionate excitement — as well as feisty disagreements — about the redevelopment. "Everybody has a crazy story about the building," says Utter, who says the first time she ever saw snow was while riding a train into Union Station. "It's just amazing how deeply people care about what happens to it. I think that's really a mandate to invest in it and do it right."

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Vicki Godbey 08/15/2008 11:06:00 PM

As a founding board member of Friends of Union Station and Union Station Advocates, I am pleased to report that the recently selected design consulting firm Hargreaves Associates has a firm grasp on the history of Denver and the historical importance of Denver Union Station in its beginning concepts of public realm design for the station. In the beginning, I too, felt the proposed wing buildings would diminish the importance of the iconic station. Upon becoming more involved with the project, I quickly realized that the framing of the station with complementary wing buildings will enhance the station and more importantly, provide the economic reality required and the populace to insure the building's continued use. To survive, Denver Union Station must become a desired destination within the transit oriented project.
LOUIE 08/15/2008 12:14:00 PM

I was looking at some old photos of Union Station, a rich history. The Mitzpah, or arch is gone, and the floods that hit that area throughout it's history. Old pictures are fun to look at.
Bert Melcher 08/14/2008 4:04:00 PM

Joel Warner�s Union Station is excellent. However, concerns for historic preservation needs emphasis. From the first 2002 Union Station Advisory Committee meetings, many people objected to new plaza buildings that will block views of the 1881 Station Building. Views of the back of the building will be lost to Transit Oriented Development, a vital aspect of the transit hub and of sustainable development. But the historic free-standing building in the plaza should be kept as such, with views to and from the Station in building, consistent with Preservation laws and principles. Surrounding buildings � Ice house, Wynkoop Brewery, and others � are protected due to preservation concerns and efforts of citizens over the years. Their setting, as well as the Station setting, should be maintained. Add this to the need for usable civic open space and there is a two-fold reason for looking at alternatives the proposed �bookend� buildings. Such alternatives have never been properly considered. I was on the first RTD Board in 1969. We envisioned a great regional transit system with the Station as the hub and with the fee-standing Station Building in its full plaza as the icon of transit. We should honor our transit pioneers as well as the pioneers who put Denver on the map with rail in the 1870�s.