{"id":398,"date":"2025-05-21T12:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T12:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/?p=398"},"modified":"2025-05-22T14:22:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T14:22:53","slug":"16th-street-mall-rebrands-as-its-4-year-makeover-approaches-finish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/21\/16th-street-mall-rebrands-as-its-4-year-makeover-approaches-finish\/","title":{"rendered":"16th Street Mall rebrands as its 4-year makeover approaches finish"},"content":{"rendered":"

Downtown\u2019s main corridor, originally known as the 16th Street Mall, has received a fresh identity to go along with its new pavers, trees and light fixtures. Skip the formalities, drop the last name, just call it 16th Street or for those who want more, call it \u201cThe Denver Way.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the message from city officials and executives at the Downtown Denver Partnership, who argue that dropping \u201cMall\u201d was long overdue. A major renovation now in its fourth year offered a good time to rebrand.<\/p>\n

\u201c16th Street is not only the signature spine of our downtown, but the heart and the soul of our city, where our communities take center stage,\u201d said Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership, during a press conference Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The 1.25-mile stretch of storefronts, restaurants, hotels and office towers has received a $175.4 million makeover on its original 13 blocks. The project, which started in April 2022 on Market Street, is nearing the home stretch on Broadway and should wrap up in the fall, a year behind schedule.<\/p>\n

Rather than waiting for the crisp autumn air, the city, the Partnership and Visit Denver are hosting a series of events throughout the summer, starting with a 16th Street opening block party<\/a> on Memorial Day at Welton Street, one of three newly permitted common consumption areas<\/a> downtown where alcohol can be consumed and carried around in a designed zone.<\/p>\n

DJ Fisher is the headliner in a concert lineup which will include other electronic dance music artists. Garrett said the outdoor concert is expected to draw thousands of younger fans.<\/p>\n

The 16th Street Summer Kickoff<\/a> will follow on May 31 and June 1, the weekend after next. Among the events on tap are the IFSC World Speed Climbing World Cup; the 16th Street Grand Bazaar, featuring local crafts, clothing and food; the Skyline Beer Garden; and bands, buskers and art installations up and down 16th Street.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will now describe this great jewel in Denver as 16th Street, which is a name everyone knows, everyone loves. But we dropped the \u2018mall\u2019 because it is so much more than just one retail location or one block. It is an entire mile of experience,\u201d Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said Tuesday when announcing the name change.<\/p>\n

As a teenager in the late 1980s, Johnston said he often confused the 16th Street Mall with the Tabor Center, which was a mall. Back then, bad fashion was in vogue \u2014 he wore giant breakdancing pants and three Swatches \u2014 and so were suburban malls.<\/p>\n

Downtown leaders attached Mall to 16th Street when it opened in 1982 in an attempt to lure visitors to an area that had served as a retail hub in the decades prior to suburban flight.<\/p>\n

Mall was hip then, it is anything but that now, to the point that retail center owners avoid the label even when it fits. When Park Meadows opened in Douglas County in 1996, it branded itself a \u201cretail resort\u201d rather than a mall. Colorado Mills, FlatIron Crossing and Orchard Town Center don\u2019t claim the last name. Even Cherry Creek Mall, one of the most successful malls in the country, rebranded itself as the Cherry Creek Shopping Center.<\/p>\n

\"People
People walk along a newly completed section of 16th Street in Denver on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 16th Street Mall, which never really was a mall, was a little late to the rebranding wave.<\/p>\n

Spokeswoman Britt Diehl said the Partnership is constantly fielding calls about when the Mall will open. The follow-up questions are usually along the lines of \u201cWhere can I buy socks?\u201d<\/p>\n

The vision for \u201cThe Denver Way\u201d is that the city\u2019s and region\u2019s best eateries, retailers and entertainment venues will place an outpost on 16th Street. Locals and tourists can sample the best Colorado has to offer before heading out to other areas or visiting the original, Johnston said.<\/p>\n

As part of the rebranding, the green signs that say 16th Street Mall will be replaced with ones that say 16th Street. Denver artist Brayan Montes-Terrazas, known as YAMZ, is designing the icons and motifs that will be used along the corridor, creating a consistent design theme.<\/p>\n

And while RTD\u2019s Free MallRide isn\u2019t going anywhere, the shuttle service will rebrand as the 16th Street Free Ride, said RTD deputy CEO, Angel Pe\u00f1a.<\/p>\n

Heavy construction and delays have resulted in a long list of retailers closing their doors along 16th Street. They include Colorado\u2019s only Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo, Panera, Mellow Mushroom, Hard Rock Cafe, Banana Republic, Sephora, McDonald\u2019s, TJ Maxx, Ana\u2019s Norwegian Bakeri, Jason\u2019s Deli and Sofia\u2019s Roman Pizza.<\/p>\n

The storefront vacancy rate along 16th Street was 27% last year, compared to 16% for all of downtown. But Garrett said with several blocks reopened, the vacancy rate has fallen to 21% and several high-profile leases are in the works, which should bring that number lower.<\/p>\n

Ryan Schmidt, vice president and district manager for PCL Construction\u2019s Denver office, said unexpected infrastructure finds, including a brick tunnel deep beneath 16th Street, contributed to delays early on. Digging went down 20 feet and new utility lines were run with spare capacity to future-proof the corridor from major disruptions down the road.<\/p>\n

Another source of delays came in the balancing act of trying to maintain as much access as possible for businesses, Schmidt said.<\/p>\n

Several fixes were made to address problems in the original design by the world-famous architect I.M. Pei. Trees constantly died on the original Mall because their roots didn\u2019t have enough room to expand. That problem has been fixed, which should allow for trees to mature and form a more robust and verdant canopy.<\/p>\n

None of the original trees on the Mall were healthy enough to transplant, but their struggles were not in vain. Their wood remains on 16th Street in benches and other furniture.<\/p>\n

\"A
A woman walks her dog down 16th Street in Denver on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n