One Year In, Denver’s 16th Street Mall Project Hits A Speed Bump

A long-awaited makeover for Denver's 16th Street Mall, a pedestrian thoroughfare that serves as the spine of downtown, will take about six months longer than anticipated after crews discovered utilities under the Mall dating back to the 1880s.

Denver began the project on the 16th Street Mall renovation last summer and initially planned for the project to be completed by late 2024.

Nancy Kuhn, a spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, told Bisnow in an email that the project is now slated to be completed by fall 2025. Crews discovered multiple brick-lined storm sewers underneath the Mall and worked with the State Historic Preservation Office to “modify or remove” them as necessary.

That means the gaping gouge in the middle of downtown Denver will hang around awhile longer, adding frustrations for business owners that were already coping with lower foot traffic and decreased sales.

Still, some see the vision of the improved Mall and have expressed their confidence in the form of new leases. 

“The construction is definitely a temporary inconvenience,” Museum of Illusions Market Manager in Denver Karah Duanchan told Bisnow. “But we chose the 16th Street Mall because we were being forward-thinking. Once these renovations are done, we think it will help create a more beautiful and vibrant downtown, which will allow for more pedestrian experiences and walkability.”

The Museum of Illusions is an international chain that offers interactive illusions for visitors. The museum will open at 951 16th St., within walking distance of the iconic Daniels and Fisher clock tower. Other businesses that have opened locations on the Mall within the last year include restaurants like Milkshake Bar, Little Finch and Sofia. 

As part of the nearly $150M facelift, construction crews are expanding the transit roadway for buses and expanding the sidewalks for pedestrians. They will also upgrade the street lighting, add more tree canopy coverage and improve the drainage system.

Outside of the construction, the Mall’s retail operations have also begun to change shape. Some large national chains like Mcdonald's and T.J. Maxx have left the Mall because of low foot traffic and increasing crime.

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and the Colorado Artisan Center are two of a handful of businesses left at Writer Square, and local businesses like Tea With Tae left the Mall itself, citing rising violence and theft. 

"All you have to do is look around to see that we are completely blocked. We're in a little island," Colorado Artisan Center owner Gabriela Salazar told CBS News.

But some local businesses seem eager to take their spots. Kuhn said the number of vacant storefronts has decreased by 5% since the project began, as new businesses continue to move in. 

The discovery of the lines delayed progress on the first four blocks of the project, which stretch from Market Street to Curtis Street, Kuhn said. She added the city is working to mitigate any future impacts on later blocks. There are between 10 and 15 crews working on the project at a given time, Kuhn said, and they’re working at the 16th and California intersection as well as between Market Street and Champa Street. 

“This approach allows for utility work and the potential conflicts to be identified earlier and minimize impact to the progression of work,” Kuhn said. 

The 16th Street Mall was one of the city’s largest draws for tourists, residents and business people alike in the years before the pandemic. It stretches more than a mile from near Union Station to Civic Center Park. The Mall also includes more than 180 stores, more than 1,200 housing units and more than 1,400 hotel rooms, according to the Downtown Denver Partnership. Parts of the Mall attracted between 16,000 and 30,000 average daily visitors before the pandemic began, DDP data shows. 

The Mall was originally completed in 1982 and was designed to have a 30-year life span. However, it didn't receive any major facelifts for about 39 years, which is one reason local officials finally decided to redevelop the Mall in 2021, according to a resolution from the Denver City Council. The decision came after more than a decade of studies, urban design plans and other discussions between local leaders about how the project should be done. 

One concern that was raised by Historic Denver, the city’s historic preservation organization, was that the redevelopment sought to replace original elements of the Mall, like the concrete pavers that were designed by famed architect I.M. Pei and resemble a Navajo tapestry. The current design calls for using smaller pavers and will lay them out differently in both the transit and pedestrian lanes, which Historic Denver said in a blog post would break up the “unity and cohesion of the intricate and elegant design.” 

To help retain and attract businesses to the Mall, the city of Denver awarded a $3M contract to DDP and the Denver Economic Development Office in April 2022 to provide grants for businesses that are impacted by the construction. These funds could also be used to replace, store or remove patio fixtures along the Mall and in pedestrian rights of way.

Kuhn said DDP and DEDO had awarded about $460K of those funds as of July 27. The DDP has also offered free rent for six months to new tenants along the Mall through the Popup Denver program, which seeks to attract businesses to the 16th Street Mall.