You can’t pick a better day than this one to come see how fast Denver’s downtown is moving into the future. Two blocks west of where Union Station has been restored to its century-old grandeur, Whole Foods opens its 50,000-square-foot flagship Colorado store this Wednesday, loaded with enticements, including in-store dining venues. And right between the store and the station, you can pick out a place where you could be part of Union Station’s historic makeover, from the first for-sale condos created downtown in 10 years.
The Coloradan — headed for its 19-story topping-off high above the station’s rail tracks — is by East West Partners, developers along with Continuum Partners of the station’s monumental restoration. Condo sales, underway today two blocks south of the station in the new Triangle Building on Wewatta Street, range from one- to three-bedroom homes priced from $525,000, to three remaining penthouse units from $3 million — all of them directly linked by bridge to the station and its trains and dining spots.
This was Denver’s hub in 1881 when the original Union Station opened (parts of that building still house some of its new cafés), hitting its zenith in 1914, when the station’s Great Hall was dedicated, serving some 80 trains a day. By the late 1950s, all of that was slipping into the past, as Stapleton Airport surpassed the station’s passenger traffic.
Now the station is back — still with two daily arrivals of Amtrak’s California Zephyr service, plus a plethora of new commuter rail trains that will stretch to all points of the metro area. Where could you buy a home now within easiest reach of a flight out of town? That would be at The Coloradan — 150 feet from elevator to RTD’s A-Line service to DIA’s main terminal.
Buyers aren’t waiting for every puzzle piece to fall in place before coming aboard. East West has already taken contracts on 189 units since Aug. 22, well past the halfway mark of 301 homes that will be offered (plus a few mandated affordable units). But at East Westap Sales Center today, you can see virtual views from a wide choice still available — including ones that look northwest to Long’s Peak, or north into the field seats at Coors field, or directly onto the station and its iconic neon “Travel by Train” sign (it went up in 1958, as the airlines were poaching rail passengers).
You’ll be amazed by the added infrastructure thatap already here — not just Whole Foods (opening Nov. 15 with dine-in options including hot entree, soup and salad bars, BirdCall and Tel Aviv Street Food, a breakfast/espresso bar, and some venues pouring wine and beer), but also a dozen trendy dining/tavern spots that have opened within two blocks (Stoic and Genuine, Kitchen Next Door, Tupelo Honey, Mercantile, Tavernetta, Zoe Ma Ma, Citizen Rail, Wewatta Point, and on). A third major hotel recently opened directly across from the Coloradan — Hotel Indigo, with more dining.
Meanwhile, East West is creating its own 19,000-foot street-level retail/dining concept, directly below the condominiums at 1750 Wewatta St. — choosing carefully between providers to avoid duplicating the many attractions that are already here. All of this will become a gateway for passengers and other visitors to Union Station, passing over a bridge from the terminal, directly into The Coloradan and on to new areas west.
“The Union Station Neighborhood is a major attraction for our buyers,” says Brad Arnold, East Westap vice president of sales and marketing. His team will give you a full view of everything coming, along with specific pricing on The Coloradan’s 112 remaining residences. To reach the sales center at 1550 Wewatta, from Speer Boulevard opposite the Pepsi Center head north on Wewatta, just past 15th Street to the Triangle Building. Park indoors (bring your ticket for a voucher), and check in with security on the main level for admission.
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this postap preparation.