enver’s 16th Street Mall is a tremendously successful street . . . . Most cities would give their eye-teeth to have a street like this,” observed Paddy Tillett, director of urban design for ZGF in Portland, Ore., the architectural firm that is consulting on the mall’s renovation or possible redesign at a public meeting earlier this month.
There’s no doubt Denver has the nation’s prettiest “Main Street” with its 28-year-old mall, a beloved landmark that is as instantly and uniquely identifiable as the Mall in Washington, D.C. The 16 beautiful downtown blocks are graced by mature honey locust trees and bubble-topped post lanterns. Underfoot, granite pavers copy the Western diamondback rattlesnake’s markings. The trees make walking through downtown like a walk in the park.
The mall is further enhanced by handsome 19th century commercial buildings that remain because citizens in the 1960s and ’70s valued their historic architecture and fine detailing, and insisted they be saved. They are a welcome counterpoint to 20th century neighbors of massive towers.
The free shuttle buses make downtown convenient for locals and visitors, and boast an average weekday ridership of 47,000. The Mall attracts some 35,000 pedestrians daily.
But all those bus trips and Denver’s harsh winter weather have caused damage to the street. The Downtown Denver Partnership has been overseeing a two-year study of the problem, considering several alternatives including repair. On May 12, the various alternatives were presented to two dozen citizens at a public meeting.
The respected national Urban Land Institute Advisory Services Panel last year noted that the mall’s design works well, and recommended the city honor the original I.M. Pei “design and precision.”
The first alternative would make the necessary paving repairs and install a new, electric system, and bring the mall back to Pei’s original standards. Part of that concept is to not let the cafes take over the sidewalks.
One plan would put the shuttles down the center of the mall, tearing out the mature trees and planting young ones on the sides. Several attendees noted that was dangerous to pedestrians with no place to jump in the middle.
Another idea would broaden the sidewalk on one side and narrow it on the other — but pedestrians seem to use both sides now, so why change? There was talk about more retail — via vendors and carts — but that’s obstructionist since the major role is a transportation corridor.
Replacing the ultra-low- emission hybrid-electric vehicles with streetcars was considered, but finances shot that down: Shuttle expenses are $58 million, while street cars are some $309 million.
The cost of repairing the mall and returning it to its original, superb design, and installing a new electric system is $53.7 million. Moving shuttle lanes, eliminating the median, expanding sidewalks, replacing trees, etc., is estimated at $66.6 million.
The best idea costs the least. So why isn’t the partnership trumpeting the obvious choice? Instead, it is holding a public meeting in the Wellington Webb Building downtown from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 25.
The next time you’re on the 16th Street Mall, note the paving, the trees and planters, savor the historic buildings that have shaped downtown character for a century. Look at the hundreds of people enjoying the space.
What could be better?
Joanne Ditmer has been writing on environmental and urban issues for The Post since 1962.
