The Denver Post’s business team has spent the past three months talking to city officials — present and past — Chamber and tourism executives, business owners, CEOs, analysts, bankers and economists, all to get a big-picture perspective on Denver’s Downtown.
Reporter Aldo Svaldi did an indepth analysis on downtown’s office towers, and a reckoning is coming as scores of loan payments become due. Reporters Judith Kohler and Jessica Alvarado Gamez explored a host of issues, including why businesses have chosen to stay downtown, how downtown compares to other business districts in Denver such as Cherry Creek and LoDo, and how the area’s national reputation has taken a hit.
This four-part special report shows how downtown came to be at his crossroads, five years after the COVID shutdown, and explores the many opinions about how it moves on from here.
Can downtown get its swagger back? Denver leaders agree it’s both possible and vital
In a post-pandemic world, is it still important or necessary for major metro areas to have a vibrant downtown at their core? Denver’s leaders say “Yes” but revitalizing downtown faces hurdles like crime, zoning, permitting and remote work.
Downtown Denver at a crossroads as offices sit empty, buildings go into default and safety concerns persist
The COVID-19 pandemic turned Downtown Denver from the place to be to a place to flee, derailing two decades of momentum overnight. Five years later, downtown’s recovery continues to lag behind most other cities, and the delay is costing Denver and the region.
Time of reckoning has arrived for Denver’s troubled office towers
Unable to find enough tenants to support debt payments, about three in 10 commercial mortgages tied to office buildings in metro Denver are delinquent, the third-worst showing in the country out of 50 metros, according to a report from Trepp last summer.
16th Street safety is the key to downtown Denver’s rebound
In the battle for Downtown Denver’s future, victory or defeat could hinge on convincing people it is safe to visit, work and live in the area, and key to that will be restoring the vibrancy of 16th Street (“mall” was recently dropped from its name), which is wrapping up a three-year renovation.
How vacant are downtown Denver’s office buildings?
Downtown’s most distressed office buildings are also some of the region’s largest. Use this interactive map to explore downtown’s office towers.