Historical “LoDo” in Denver Colorado
You might hear about it maybe often wonder where it is or what it’s like. Maybe how it got started. “Lodo”
Lower Downtown (nicknamed “LoDo”) is bounded roughly by the 20th Street and Larimer Square shopping areas and steel-and-glass towers to the southeast, Cherry Creek to the west, and the sprawling railyards of the Platte River Valley to the north.
In 1988, the city declared the 20-block area a historic district-though not before some classic structures had been razed to make way for income-producing parking lots, giving some streets an admittedly gap-toothed appearance. Even so, the area vibrates with a spirit that was missing in the lean years following the 1984 plummet in oil and property prices.
The best way to visit LoDo, crisscrossed as it is by one-way streets and looming viaducts, is to park and walk; unattended lots cost about $2 a day (most accept coins and bills). Or catch the free 16th Street bus shuttle; it drops you off at Market Street Station, 16th and Market.
The historic lofts, charming town homes, and elegant high rises of LoDo offer an idyllic Parisian lifestyle where the urbane and sophisticated dine en plein air at charming area bistros and relish the option to walk, bike, or ride the bus or Light Rail in lieu of driving.
In pedestrian friendly LoDo and the adjacent Platte Valley Greenway, adopting a car-free lifestyle is easy and likely to improve health, increase peace of mind, and help protect the environment. Enjoy the colorful pageantry that only LoDo can offer. You’ll never lack for stimulating things to do and see.
A little Lodo History
After a protracted period of decline that began with the Silver Crash of 1893 and lasted nearly a century, a revitalized LoDo offers a 21st century version of the glittering Silver Boom era, when bustling Larimer Street was justifiably called “the grandest thoroughfare between Chicago and San Francisco and favorably compared with New York’s Broadway for “enterprise, stability, and rush.â€
In those heady days, one might well cross paths with the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody, Bat Masterson, Calamity Jane, Soapy Smith, and other frontier icons out and about on the dusty streets. Indeed, Larimer Street epitomized the classic “Old West†as portrayed by Hollywood: teeming with cattle barons, Indians, gunfighters, wagon trains, salon keepers, madams, miscreants, and gold miners.
Today, a different breed roams this robust heart of Denver, where the streets bustle night and day with shoppers, nightclub hoppers, sports fans, business people, and tourists. The landscaped paths along the South Platte and Cherry Creek provide walkers, joggers, and cyclists with safe, picturesque access to one of the most extensive urban trail systems in the nation.
Confluence Park
Confluence Park, site of Denver’s first settlements, is rife with kayakers from dawn till dusk while skate boarders cavort in the sculpted bowls of the nearby Denver Skate Park. On summer evenings, eager locals gather on the grassy knoll above the river for free concerts and movies.
At 16th Street, where Commons Park rolls along the banks of the Platte, three pedestrian bridges link LoDo to Platte Street, Denver’s “Left Bank†and Highland, one of downtown’s newest trendy neighborhoods. The architecturally intriguing bridges include the landmark cable-stayed Millennium Bridge and a spectacular new span across I-25.
The magnificent, blocks-long facade of renovated, 19th-century brick warehouses lining Wynkoop Street opposite Italianate Union Station knows no rival anywhere in the country. Discover dozens of retail outlets, watering holes, upscale restaurants, salons and spas, offices, and lofts. Among them are the Wynkoop Brewery, Morton’s of Chicago, the Oxford Club, and nationally renowned Tattered Cover Bookstore, in the handsomely restored Morey Mercantile Building.
Larimer Square’s
What began as Denver’s very first city block is now one of the city’s most prestigious areas. Larimer Square has also become the hottest restaurant neighborhood in town, thanks to an aggressive effort to bring regionally exclusive, chef-driven restaurants to the block. Pair that with the finest shopping for the discerning customer and you are sure to be delighted
REAL ESTATE
If you would like additional information about real estate in LoDo as well as anywhere in Denver Metro Area contact us at 1-800-791-3990 ext 232.
Jeffery McClintock, is a real estate broker in Denver and prides himself on providing clients with professional guidance in all phases of residential new construction, including market research, product development, consulting, marketing and advertising. His personal mission is to bring to you a level of knowledge, experience, commitment, high standards and results to answer your real estate needs. He believes, the most effective way to provide superior service is to build a strong working relationship with you. His system includes regular consultations and feedback, which is the best tool for identifying and clarifying your real estate objectives and help define strategic solutions.
