The interior of Denver’s renovated Union Station officially reopened to the public on July 26. The historic train station was closed for extensive renovations on December 2, 2012. The $54-million project was focused on preserving significant features of the 1914 Beaux-Arts building.
It has now returned to its origins as a multi-modal transit hub and hospitality destination.
Union Station has been renovated to include a new boutique hotel, travelers’ services and multiple restaurants created by several of Denver’s top restaurateurs and chefs. The restaurants include Mercantile Dining & Provision, Stoic & Genuine, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, The Kitchen Next Door and Fresh eXchange.
The upper floors of the north and south wings of the building house The Crawford Hotel, named for Colorado preservationist Dana Crawford, one of the partners responsible for the new transit center. The Crawford has 112 rooms, featuring three styles that include rooms designed like Pullman train cars and lofts resembling those in the adjacent neighborhood in Lower Downtown Denver.
Union Station’s Great Hall serves as the hotel’s main entrance and lobby. Guests can check in via their mobile phones, even before stepping off the light rail and Amtrak trains.
“This building means so much to our history and to our potential for the future. Already Union Station, with its Crawford Hotel and new retail, has spurred a $1.8-billion wave of new opportunity in the area,” said Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. “All roads now lead to Union Station, and in 2016, we will extend those opportunities when the East Line to DIA will carry passengers between the airport and downtown in half an hour.”
The station’s Great Hall also includes MilkBox Ice Creamery, PigTrain Coffee, ACME Burgers and Brats, the Terminal Bar and the Cooper Lounge. The interiors of the Great Hall, the Terminal Bar and Cooper Lounge were created by New York City-based AvroKO Designs LLC.
Retail stores in Union Station include the Tattered Cover Bookstore and Bloom by Anuschka.
The general contractor for the station’s interior renovation was Milender White Construction. Kiewit built the new underground bus concourse and exterior improvements to the rail lines and platforms.
The overall hotel design was created by JG Johnson Architects and Tryba Architects. The property features art specifically curated from local Colorado artists by Denver’s NINE dot ARTS.
