The group leading the Denver Union Station remodeling project said Tuesday that it is addressing concerns expressed by the U.S. National Park Service, which rejected the group’s request for historic-preservation tax incentives for the project.
In an Aug. 7 letter, the Park Service said it would not approve the Union Station plans as submitted but that the decision could be reconsidered.
Union Station Alliance is seeking to remodel the historic train station to include a 130-room hotel on the upper floors and retail and restaurants on the ground level. The station would continue to serve as a transit hub.
To accommodate the hotel, changes to the train station’s exterior and interior are proposed. In a six-page letter, the Park Service suggested that some of the changes won’t preserve the historic character of the building, which was built in 1881 and has undergone several modifications since then.
Specifically, the Park Service noted the addition of dormers that would alter the roofline, mezzanines, changing windows to doors and removing historic interior features such as staircases.
“In conclusion, recognizing that time is of the essence at this stage of your rehabilitation project, we would be willing to continue our review of the project upon receipt of substantive new information that addresses the issues raised in this letter,” the Park Service said.
“We appreciate the importance of the project and significance of Denver Union Station, and believe that if revised to address these issues, the project can meet the program requirements.”
The Park Service’s action was first reported by the Denver Business Journal.
People familiar with the process said it is not unusual for the Park Service to initially reject a project involving historic preservation.
In response to the rejection, the eight-member Union Station Alliance said in a statement it is “addressing the concerns and will be prepared to proceed with the project in short order.”
The statement — released by the office of alliance member Walter Isenberg, president and CEO of Sage Hospitality — added that the team “has decades of experience in historic adaptive reuse projects … . The process we are going through is routine. Projects of this nature are complex and require negotiation and refinement in the normal course of approval.”
“We fully expect this process to be complete with an opening of the historic station occurring in early- to mid-2014 as planned.”
It was unclear if the project could proceed without the historic certification and accompanying 20 percent federal investment tax credit, or if the alliance might appeal the ruling.
Individual members of the alliance did not return phone calls.
The Regional Transportation District, which owns the building, still is in negotiation with the alliance over the $48 million project.
The Park Service is an agency of the Interior Department.
John Mossman: 303-954-1479, jmossman@denverpost.com
