LoDo: Denver's oldest address, still best on foot

LoDo is where Denver began, and it is one of the few places in the city where the past and the present share the same blocks.

Denver's original settlement was founded in 1858. After a fire destroyed the wooden buildings in 1863, builders turned to red brick, and that choice still defines the look of the neighborhood. Union Station dates to 1881. The Lower Downtown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, and Larimer Square earned its own listing in 1973.

Today the district holds more than 100 historic buildings, mostly red-brick Victorian warehouse and commercial structures. Nearly all of them had been renovated for offices, hotels, and residences, many with ground-floor retail. Industrial zoning gave way to mixed use in 1974, which opened the door to that change. One huge benefit living in Lodo is the A train, which runs from Union Station to Denver International Airport. If you live in LoDo it truly is door-to-door service. You just roll your suitcase onto the train and are at the airport in about 20 minutes.

The neighborhood covers about 24 blocks, bounded by Speer Boulevard, Larimer Street, 20th Street, and Wewatta Street. Union Station and the 16th Street Mall make it easy to reach, and the Cherry Creek Trail connects to Cherry Creek Park. Commons Park and Centennial Park sit along its northwestern edge, and Coors Field, which opened in 1995, anchors the other end of the neighborhood. Housing here is almost entirely multi-family, so living in LoDo means living in a building with neighbors, which is a different experience from a house on its own lot.

If you are considering a loft or condominium in a historic building, I walk clients through a few things that photographs do not show: how the building handles sound between units, how parking works, and what the association covers. Those questions matter as much as the exposed brick. Each of the historic buildings has its own flavor and character and there really is something for everybody.

I believe a home is a sanctuary, and for the right person that can be a restored warehouse with exposed brick and large wooden beams a few blocks from Union Station. If you would like to talk about LoDo, whether you are buying, selling, or just exploring, call or reply, and I would be glad to help.