From DenverInfill:
Special Denver Union Station Gathering this Saturday!Continue reading for more on the plans for Union Station. The plan for the historic station is big: restaurants and shops on the ground floors and a boutique hotel affiliated with the nearby Oxford Hotel on the top floors. The development team in charge of the renovation, Union Station Alliance, says the remodeled station will feature "more than 22,000 square feet of ground floor space divided into approximately ten independent retail and restaurant outlets, complemented by a 12,000-square foot public common area, the 'Great Hall,' and 40,000 square feet of outdoor plaza space." The station will also house Amtrak and RTD, "as well as feature a 110-room independent hotel on the upper levels to be managed by Denver's Sage Hospitality."Denver Union Station's closure for its long-anticipated makeover is finally here. The station will close to the public after this weekend so that workers can begin the year-and-a-half process of restoring the structure to its former glory and adding new hotel, restaurant, and retail uses to the historic landmark. The "new" Denver Union Station will open, along with the rest of the transit infrastructure under construction nearby, in 2014.
To celebrate the station's pending transformation and to take one last look at the inside of the "old" station, DenverInfill and Union Station Advocates will be hosting an informal gathering inside Union Station's Great Hall, this Saturday, December 1, 2012 from 10:00 AM to Noon. This is not our usual DenverInfill walking tour, nor is it an open house per se. It's just two hours this coming Saturday morning when anyone who's a fan of Union Station can stop by and check out the Great Hall one last time before it closes for restoration.
Stop in and take a look at the various project renderings posted around the inside of the station. See the dramatic Commuter Rail canopy structure being erected immediately next to the station to the west. Snap a few pictures of what Union Station "used to" look like for posterity's sake. I will be there, along with many of my fellow Union Station Advocates board members, hanging out to help answer any questions you may have about the project. And around 11:00 AM, Dana Crawford, our city's most honored historic preservationist and Denver Union Station hotel developer, will say a few words about the upcoming restoration.
Remember, this Saturday morning is your final opportunity to see our beloved historic station before its "reveal" in 2014: the centennial of the 1914 Great Hall and the 133rd anniversary of the two historic wings.
"Interest in the space has been very strong and we are now actively working with several prominent Denver chefs and retailers," Joe Vostrejs, the chief operating officer at Larimer Associates, which is handling the retail leasing of the remodeled station, said in a statement. "We understand the people want a strong local presence here as this will be a major new focal point for downtown Denver. And we're also focused on offering services and goods that are important to transit riders and visitors."
More from our Follow That Story archive: "Commerce City police 'puppy profiling' by calling dog shot by officer a pit bull?"
Follow me on Twitter @MelanieAsmar or e-mail me at [email protected]
