I was in LoDo last week and got to see the new Oxford Hotel awning for the very first time.  I had not realized it had been so long since I was down there - it was installed in July.  It makes such a difference and I like that it feels as if had always been there.

The awning cost $125,000 and resembles the original that was in place from 1894 through the mid 1930s.  The Colorado Historic Fund provided a $35,000 grant for the project.  I think it adds even more character to the building and really gives that block a modern vintage feel that plays against the facade of Denver Union Station. 

The Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver is running their 2009 Rocky Mountain Home Raffle between now and September 25th.  The grand prize is a $1,000,000 mountain dream home, a luxury Downtown Denver loft or $1,000,000 in cash.  There will also be two early bird drawings on August 17th and September 7th where you could win anywhere from $1,000, to $5,000 to $10,000 in cash.  Tickets are $100 each and all proceeds go to support the work of the Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Denver.  You can order your ticket online here.  Right now there are discounts if you by packs of 3 or 10.     

I got to tour the luxury Downtown loft earlier this week at Zi Lofts at 2229 Blake Street right across from Coors Field.  All of the penthouses on the 7th floor open onto a stunning Zen water garden which has a giant sky light over it.  Each home is two stories and you enter on upper level where the kitchen and dining room are.  Stairs lead you down to the private living space where the bedrooms and dens are.  The bathrooms had over sized tubs and showers with seamless glass doors.

Each residence that we toured had amazing exposure to sunlight, great views and modern finishes.  All of the kitchens that I saw were unique and one of a kind.  Other homes had two sided fireplaces and one had a butler’s pantry which has always been a dream of mine to have in my own home.  The corner terraces offered both city and mountain views.  I certainly would envy the lucky person that wins one of these homes.  You can check it out for yourself this weekend - they are hosting an open house on Saturday, August 15th from Noon to 5:00pm. 

On Sunday the Downtown Denver Partnership’s “Urban Exploration” program left for Washington D.C.  Attendees include a variety of 50 key stakeholders and community leaders.  The purpose of the trip is to study Downtown D.C. and see how their successful projects and urban planning practices might be transplanted or adapted in Downtown Denver.  Often times the most innovative ideas come from visiting other cities and I think this trip will be no exception.  This is an annual trip and you can learn more about it here.  You can also follow them live on Twitter at “urbanEx_DDP”.   After I see their presentation I will do an update to share my favorite ideas.

Last week I went on a tour of the future University of Colorado Denver Business School located at 1475 Lawrence Strett.  The CU Foundation on behalf of UC Denver purchased the building, the former headquarters for Quiznos, in March 2008 for $24 million.  Our tour showed us what eventually will be new classrooms, common areas, meeting rooms, a market cafe and faculty offices for the school. 

UC Denver will be consolidating eight different locations for their current business program into this facility including the Bard Center which currently is on the 16th Street Mall.  I really enjoyed seeing the raw “before” space and it was easy to see the potential each floor holds.  My favorite part of the tour was getting to check out the numerous decks throughout the building each with awesome views of Downtown.  As we walked each floor we got to see a number of renderings which helped illustrate what each space will eventually look like.

Ultimately this will be a three phase project.  Phase one will be a $15 million renovation of the entire building including enclosing and expanding the main lobby as well as installing a multi-level signature staircase in the center of the school.  Future phases could expand the ground floor further and eventually create a grand six story enclosed glass atrium where the fountain sits now behind the Capital Grille.  Fundraising efforts for the first phase are well underway.  Tentatively, the first classes held in the facility will be in late 2010. 

Projects like this are critical to the future of Downtown and I think this school (along with the activity it will create on this corner) will be a tremendous asset when completed.  I look forward to touring the completed school next year.

Work on the Lawrence Halprin fountain in Skyline Park has been completed.  Personally I am very happy to see it funtioning again.  I first wrote about this project in my June post.  This water feature along with the other improvements to the park help to create an urban oasis in the core of Downtown Denver. 

I have already noticed a significant increase in visitors over the lunch hour and it is amazing how the sound of running water can both calm a space and make it more inviting.  As more residents move into Downtown I expect Skyline Park to become a much more popular amenity and this fountain to become more of a public gathering space.

Well it is hard to believe but the Democratic National Convention is only 6 days away.  Signs are starting to appear throughout all of Downtown indicating the sheer magnitude of what this means for the mile high city.

From banners on light poles to the planters on the 16th St. Mall, I think Downtown looks put together and inviting for our guests that will start arriving very soon.  So far my personal favorite is the Hotel Teatro.  I am also impressed with the new signs installed in the Theatre District.

Recycling has finally arrived on the 16th St. Mall!  Today at a press conference details were released outlining the initial launch of 10 recycling receptacles.  The bright yellow containers allow for “single stream” recycling which allows users to deposit newspaper, glass and aluminum all in the same container to be recycled.  There is one container per block on the Mall from Cleveland to Larimer Street.

The Mayor and representatives from Green Print Denver, the Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP) and the DDP Business Improvement District all spoke about the significance of this initiative.  For the first few days Downtown Host Ambassadors will be circulating along the mall instructing people about the containers and what can and cannot go in them.  This of course is in line with the upcoming Democratic National Convention and Denver’s goal of hosting the greenest convention in U.S. History.  I think recycling on the mall is overdue and I hope that this is the first step in bringing recycling to all of Downtown.

The Lawrence Halprin fountain that was preserved in the renovation of Skyline Park is getting a facelift.  Construction fencing is up and according to the signs from Denver Parks and Recreation; August 1st is the targeted completion date for the work - just in time for the Democratic National Convention!

Back in the mid 1980s when both of my parents worked Downtown I remember walking through Skyline Park and enjoying the fountain when it was still functioning.  I think the park has been improved dramatically since that time and look forward to having this fountain working again.  I have really missed water features in Downtown since our drought a couple of years ago.  August 1st will be here in no time!

After my recent field trip to check out the new Denver Sheraton I noticed some construction fencing around the Seal Pond in Civic Center Park. Upon further investigation I discovered three workers stripping off the tacky blue paint that has been coating the bottom of the pond for years.               

I suspect the work is one of the many projects currently underway in Downtown Denver to get the Mile High City ready for its close-up during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. It would be an understatement to say I was overjoyed at seeing almost a third of the paint gone. I really hope that once the paint is gone they will fix the fountain 100% and have it fully functioning again by this August.

Yet another project has commenced in anticipation of the Democratic National Convention coming to Denver in August.  If you happen to walk by 16th and California you will see a very big change - the entire stretch of sidewalk in front of the Denver Dry Building has been torn out and is being upgraded.

They are moving fast!  Since I started this entry they have already replaced the sidewalk portion of the streetscape project.  In the next phase will come granite planters similar to the ones found on the Hyatt Convention Center Hotel block.  The final step will be new landscaping and LED uplighting for the new trees and banners.  This will be a really nice upgrade for the Denver Dry block, DNC attendees and future convention visitors to Downtown.