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Mobile Workshop

Economic Trends and Transformations

Denver's Lower Downtown Historic District: Denver's Birthplace

Saturday, March 29, 2025
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM CT
Location: Mobile Workshop Departure Area
CM: 2
Walking Ticketed Event
Ticket Price: $20

    Lead Mobile Workshop Coordinator(s)

  • Ken Schroeppel, AICP

    Urban Design Program Director
    University of Colorado Denver
    Denver, CO

This three-hour walking tour explores Denver’s Lower Downtown Historic District from an urban planning, design, and development perspective. Learn about:
  • Lower Downtown (LoDo) — the city’s birthplace — near the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek and the development of its streets, blocks and buildings;
  • The area’s transformation into a warehouse district with the addition of Denver Union Station in 1881;
  • Its post-WWII decline and threat of demolition through urban renewal;
  • Its remarkable revitalization through historic preservation and adaptive reuse into the thriving, mixed-use district of today; and
  • What the future holds as new developments replace surface parking lots.

    Learning Objectives:

    • Understand the urban evolution of a place and see how design standards and guidelines for the LoDo District have influenced new structures and adaptive reuse of historic structures.
    • Understand the social and cultural benefits of historic preservation and placemaking.
    • Learn about and discuss urban infill development, transit-oriented development, and public spaces.