Twelve 20-foot-tall pillars designed to guide pedestrians and drivers through downtown will line 14th Street between Market Street and Court Place by the end of the year.
Workers from DaVinci Sign Systems in Windsor finished installing the first triangular “monument” Wednesday morning and expect to install an additional piece every two to three weeks.
The signs will light up at night on the northeast corner of each of the intersections along the 12-block stretch.
One side of each sign points to local attractions, such as the Denver Convention Center, while the other two contain images of local architecture — the first has a photo of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
The signs, which together cost about $320,000 to make and install, are part of the $14 million 14th Street reconstruction project that also calls for the widening of sidewalks and the installation of new trees, planters, bike racks, lighting and banner poles, and trash and recycling containers.
“This is going to be the single most visible element of the project,” said John Desmond, Downtown Denver Partnership vice president of urban planning and development.
The partnership represented the 14th Street General Improvement District, created by 14th Street property owners, in meetings with the city, which is overseeing the project. The Denver Better Bond Program is providing $10 million for the project, and the 14th Street General Improvement District is contributing $4 million.
A team from Denver-based ArtHouse Design worked with StudioInsite, the project’s lead architectural firm, to design the signs.
“We wanted to make it seem very welcoming,” said Clara Carpenter, a senior designer at ArtHouse. “The towers were kind of a gateway element. There’s a real sense of place and presence.”
Liz Navratil: 303-954-1054 or lnavratil@denverpost.com
