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Conventional Wisdom
Denver is ready to take center stage as the site of the Democratic National Convention.
Like the “UNSINKABLE” molly Brown of Titanic fame, many who came to Colorado seeking their fortunes in the 19th and 20th centuries eventually settled in Denver. Wander the city today and you’ll quickly note architectural details that, like tree rings, reveal a timeline of historic up-ticks: the Victorian era when silver was discovered in Leadville, the turn-of-the-last century when gold was found in Cripple Creek, and contemporary marking the oil boom of the 1980s.Gold or silver may no longer be the city’s primary draws, but riches abound. Even when the rest of the country suffers an economic pinch, Denver thrives thanks to a diversified economy. With an active and lively urban center, you can really get business done, say local pundits. Energy is a driving force, but it’s not just limited to gas and oil. Colorado is a leading producer of wind power, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in nearby Golden puts Denver on the cutting edge of research into solar and other alternative energy sources.
Colorado is second only to California as a home to aerospace industries, and Denver serves as an intermountain regional hub for financial giants such as Wells Fargo, Janus, and Berger Funds. While Denver may have been a poster child for the software dot bust, it has boomed back with a host of small- and medium-sized companies.
One key to this success is transportation. Pioneers came here in covered wagons. Today’s citizenry wants to move from place to place — fast. Denver International Airport plans a $1.9-billion expansion to double the size of its main terminal, increase parking, add a terminal hotel and make way for a direct rail link to downtown. The $4.2-billion facility covers 53 square miles (that’s twice the size of Manhattan), and the potential exists to increase its six runways to 12.
Downtown Denver’s historic Union Station is being transformed into a regional transit hub for Amtrak; light rail; commuter rail; bus, shuttle and taxi service. Miles of beltways, toll roads and tracks are being added across the metropolitan area. By 2017 FasTracks, a $4.7-billion plan to build 122 miles of light and commuter rail and add 18 miles of bus service and 57 new stations, will be completed.
Even beyond rapid transit, the city is on the move. Not only has the Colorado Convention Center expanded twice now to 1 million contiguous square feet, but it also boasts indescribable views and a rail stop. Accolades pour in for Denver’s urban infill and multi-purpose communities like Lowry (on a decommissioned Air Force base) and Stapleton (site of the city’s original airport).
New downtown condominiums and lofts have young singles and empty nesters salivating at the prospect of living within walking distance of the 16th Street Mall and Lower Downtown (“LoDo” to locals) with its art galleries, restaurants, coffee houses, brew pubs and nightspots.
Some $4.3 billion has transformed an army medical center into the onesquare- mile, bioscience-centric Fitzsimons Life Sciences District, including the Anschutz Medical Campus incorporating University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital. Commerce City, an old refinery town, is reinventing itself with major new residential projects and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, home to the Colorado Rapids and the largest outdoor soccer complex in the United States. Oh, and did I mention Denver is the No. 1 producer of beer nationally?
Is it any wonder Democrats chose this vibrant, progressive, environmentally sensitive city for its 2008 convention? Or why 80 percent of the companies that move here say the “decision-maker” responsible for the move visited first as a tourist? This is Denver’s second gilded age.
LODGING
BROWN PALACE HOTEL
Denver’s iconic grande dame has hosted almost every U.S. president since 1905, not to mention music royalty — Springsteen, the Beatles and Rolling Stones. But the lady certainly doesn’t show her age. A recent
facelift to all 241 guestrooms means Victorian and art deco stylings mingle quite graciously with high-tech amenities and upgraded bathrooms. The most recent additions are a new spa and Brown Palace Coffee & Tea Co., offering 100-percent organic Allegro coffee and tea as well as baked goods. One thing that hasn’t changed: the nine-story central atrium topped with a glorious stained-glass canopy. And yes, every January in honor of the National Western Stock Show, the hotel displays a grand champion steer in the lobby during afternoon tea.$$$$
