Best Example of Successful New Urbanism 2002 | Officers' Row LofthomesLowry | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Example of Successful New Urbanism

Officers' Row Lofthomes
Lowry

Despite its name, new urbanism isn't exactly new. The highly vaunted style has turned out to be little more than old suburbanism in most places -- except that the buildings are closer together. And although most of the development at the old Lowry Air Force Base looks like a tight Highlands Ranch, a group of sensitive and intelligent townhomes and flats has been constructed by National Properties in the area of Fourth Avenue and Rosalyn Street. Called Officers' Row Lofthomes, the residences were designed by Christopher Carvell Architects of Denver and constructed of buff-colored brick, just like some of the historic buildings nearby. If most of the buildings that have mushroomed up at Lowry look like toadstools, the Officers' Row Lofthomes are the porcinis.

Best Start for a New Neighborhood

Riverfront Park and the Millennium Bridge

Just a few years ago, the Platte River Valley behind LoDo was a nearly empty space. But the Sixteenth Street Mall was recently extended right to the edge of that area, and with it came lots of development. Three of the most handsome of the new buildings, Park Place, Promenade Lofts and the high-rise Riverfront Tower, were built by East West Partners; all are distinctly different yet stylistically compatible residential buildings. Hopefully, the stylish designs, by the Urban Design Group, will set the tone for future development in the Riverfront Park neighborhood. Connecting these buildings to the western terminus of the 16th Street Mall is the nearly completed Millennium Bridge, by Steve Chucovich; the pedestrian suspension bridge is held up by a single pole canted at a jaunty diagonal. Add to this the recently built Commons Park, and the residents of the South Platte Valley have the beginnings of a neighborhood to be proud of.

Best Start for a New Neighborhood

Riverfront Park and the Millennium Bridge

Just a few years ago, the Platte River Valley behind LoDo was a nearly empty space. But the Sixteenth Street Mall was recently extended right to the edge of that area, and with it came lots of development. Three of the most handsome of the new buildings, Park Place, Promenade Lofts and the high-rise Riverfront Tower, were built by East West Partners; all are distinctly different yet stylistically compatible residential buildings. Hopefully, the stylish designs, by the Urban Design Group, will set the tone for future development in the Riverfront Park neighborhood. Connecting these buildings to the western terminus of the 16th Street Mall is the nearly completed Millennium Bridge, by Steve Chucovich; the pedestrian suspension bridge is held up by a single pole canted at a jaunty diagonal. Add to this the recently built Commons Park, and the residents of the South Platte Valley have the beginnings of a neighborhood to be proud of.

Best Plan to Save the Old Colorado

The Nature Conservancy's "Heart of the West" campaign

Coloradans have become dispirited over the last few years as they've watched wall-to-wall subdivisions creep over the Front Range and pristine mountain valleys turn into gated communities filled with trophy homes. Now the Nature Conservancy is trying to do something about it. The group has launched a $75 million campaign to protect fifteen unique Colorado landscapes, from the dry plains of eastern Colorado's Arickaree River to the sandstone canyons of the Western Slope's Glade Park. The group has made a priority of buying land along rivers, which are often abundant with wildlife but also popular places for vacation homes. In addition, the Nature Conservancy plans to work closely with ranchers and farmers to protect both wildlife and agriculture in rural Colorado. In a state where growth often seems out of control, that's a development we can all cheer.

Best Plan to Save the Old Colorado

The Nature Conservancy's "Heart of the West" campaign

Coloradans have become dispirited over the last few years as they've watched wall-to-wall subdivisions creep over the Front Range and pristine mountain valleys turn into gated communities filled with trophy homes. Now the Nature Conservancy is trying to do something about it. The group has launched a $75 million campaign to protect fifteen unique Colorado landscapes, from the dry plains of eastern Colorado's Arickaree River to the sandstone canyons of the Western Slope's Glade Park. The group has made a priority of buying land along rivers, which are often abundant with wildlife but also popular places for vacation homes. In addition, the Nature Conservancy plans to work closely with ranchers and farmers to protect both wildlife and agriculture in rural Colorado. In a state where growth often seems out of control, that's a development we can all cheer.

Best Old-Fashioned Downtown

Golden

There are plenty of charming mountain towns in the area, but none as close to Denver as Golden. Washington Avenue, the main drag, features a justly famous welcome sign ("Howdy folks!") and numerous noteworthy attractions, including the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, the Foothills Art Center and Foss Drug, a sprawling general store stocked with everything from novelty toilet paper to restored gas pumps. As an added bonus, there's also Old Capitol Grill, a watering hole and eatery on the site of what was once Colorado's pre-statehood territorial capitol; it's among the handful of places in the country that serves Barmen Pilsner, an authentic German-style golden pilsner by Coors.

Best Old-Fashioned Downtown

Golden

There are plenty of charming mountain towns in the area, but none as close to Denver as Golden. Washington Avenue, the main drag, features a justly famous welcome sign ("Howdy folks!") and numerous noteworthy attractions, including the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, the Foothills Art Center and Foss Drug, a sprawling general store stocked with everything from novelty toilet paper to restored gas pumps. As an added bonus, there's also Old Capitol Grill, a watering hole and eatery on the site of what was once Colorado's pre-statehood territorial capitol; it's among the handful of places in the country that serves Barmen Pilsner, an authentic German-style golden pilsner by Coors.

Best Place to Park Downtown

Allright Parking

World-class, our ass: We're just looking for a place to park it. And here at the corner of 14th and Champa streets, like a struggling, spindly daisy peeking out from the surrounding weeds

of greed that charge up to $2 per twenty minutes, we're feelin' Allright, uh-huh. Bordered on one side by a light-rail station and only steps from the performing-arts complex and the convention center, this centrally located oasis of sanity is the cheapest lot within a six-block radius, charging $1 per half-hour, with a $4 maximum on weekdays; on nights and weekends, the rate goes up and down depending on what events are taking place nearby. On theater nights, this best-kept secret means you'll miss the crawl to get out of DCPA's parking garage. And as an added touch, there's a four-story mural of a flower -- courtesy of the Denver Botanic Gardens -- painted on the side of the Davis & Shaw building next door, which gives off a warm, welcoming vibe that says Denver isn't a city that has to steal from its citizens to feel like it's come up in the world. That means a lot.

Best Place to Park Downtown

Allright Parking

World-class, our ass: We're just looking for a place to park it. And here at the corner of 14th and Champa streets, like a struggling, spindly daisy peeking out from the surrounding weeds

of greed that charge up to $2 per twenty minutes, we're feelin' Allright, uh-huh. Bordered on one side by a light-rail station and only steps from the performing-arts complex and the convention center, this centrally located oasis of sanity is the cheapest lot within a six-block radius, charging $1 per half-hour, with a $4 maximum on weekdays; on nights and weekends, the rate goes up and down depending on what events are taking place nearby. On theater nights, this best-kept secret means you'll miss the crawl to get out of DCPA's parking garage. And as an added touch, there's a four-story mural of a flower -- courtesy of the Denver Botanic Gardens -- painted on the side of the Davis & Shaw building next door, which gives off a warm, welcoming vibe that says Denver isn't a city that has to steal from its citizens to feel like it's come up in the world. That means a lot.

Best Paving of the Way Toward the Future

Union Station Paving Project
Lodo District Inc.

To raise money for the soon-to-be-renovated Union Station -- the Denver landmark that, with the addition of light rail, has been re-energized as a transportation hub -- the nonprofit Lodo District is selling 8,000 engraved bricks that will form a plaza at the station's entrance. The price of this immortality? A mere $75 -- to a major $1,500. Like the station, the Lodo District is enjoying a surge of energy, too, having just hired hardworking board president and historian Barbara Gibson to serve as director. All aboard!

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