What Denver Should do With the Denver Pavilions
If you’re familiar with downtown Denver, then it’s likely that you’ve walked by, shopped in or at least seen the Denver Pavilions. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, it’s basically an outdoor mall. In its prime there were several flagship stores including a Uniqlo, Forever21 and an Express. Then COVID hit and the cracks in the foundation that were beginning to show prior to 2020-became more obvious once everything reopened.
Now the city of Denver has purchased the Denver Pavilions and are in the process of thinking about how to redevelop and revive the space. I have some thoughts and as long as you credit me for my suggestions-feel free to take them. I want to see 16th Street revitalized, re-energized and becoming an experience that is equal to the western half of 16th Street (anything West of Champa). Today I’m sharing how would redevelop the space and I’m wondering what the folks on the development team are considering doing with the space.
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What to Do with the Denver Pavilions
City of Denver Museum
There’s been a lot of conversation around the one type of museum that Denver is missing which is a museum specifically dedicated to the City of Denver. I think that the former Uniqlo location would a fantastic place to put that museum. All of the neon signs from Colfax and other places around town could be placed in there, giant murals showing different scenes and moments of the city throughout the years. And a couple of the smaller retail spaces on the 2nd floor could be offshoots dedicated to experiences, conversations or curated moments all about the city of Denver.
Aldi Super Market
Downtown Denver doesn’t have a grocer on the Eastern side of the mall. Why not put an Aldi’s in the former Forever21 retail spot? It’s a 2 story location adjacent to a couple of restaurants and is accessible via elevator and escalators. There are numerous hotels within walking distance such as (The Sheraton, Populus, Brown Palace) and it’s also in close proximity to several buildings that are slated to be converted from office buildings to housing.
A Local Coffee Shop Pop Up
Denver loves Coffee Shops. What if there was a dedicated space where a future coffee shop owner could run a 1 month pop up to test out their concept. It would have to have patio furniture and be subsidized by the city as a way to incubate and develop local businesses.
Rotating Business Incubator Pop Up
With a lot lower overhead. There is space in the Denver Pavilions to house several small business concepts for 3 months at a time to help market and incubate a new business concept and idea. I’m thinking a max of 6 businesses in a large retail space at any given time. Sort of like what they tried to do in the old Bed Bath and Beyond in Cherry Creek directly after the COVID lockdowns ended. The vision they had was great-the space they hosted it in was challenging.
Denver Coffee Roaster
Why doesn’t the city of Denver have its own coffee blend? Wouldn’t it be cool to have a coffee roaster where we could sell bags of Denver coffee and donate some of the proceeds quarterly to projects here in town.
A Mini Performance and Social Venue
For Anyone Over 65 Years Old
There are a number of wonderful spaces around town for people to perform and socialize in. I do think that we can always add another space that nurtures art, maker activities, Zines and more. How I imagine this space is as a spot that accessible to Denverites to enjoy the arts and community focused experiences similar to what used to be held at the former Mercury Cafe which is now closed.
Korean Fried Chicken Spot
I continue to be confused by the fact that we don’t have a good Korean Fried Chicken spot in the heart of downtown Denver. In fact, there’s no stand out friend chicken spot adjacent to or on 16th Street (Mall) corridor. There’s a specific location that I think would be perfect for this-a retail spot across the street from the Colorado Convention Center next to the Dueling Piano spot basically on 14th and Champa. I love Korean Fried Chicken and that love will never go away. In a town filled with an incredible number of dumpling and ramen spots-we’re light on fried chicken offerings and I hope that will change sometime soon.
Prismajic-Or, Something Similar
I was so sad when Prismajic was abruptly closed at Colorado Mills Mall to make room for another business. It’s an interactive art experience that I actually liked a little more than Meow Wolf. It was just a slightly calmer experience. If the founders of Prismajic are looking for another location, I think that the Denver Pavilions would be a fantastic place to house it.
A Korean or Russian Bathhouse Spa
(Affordable)
Colfax has Lake Steam Baths, but downtown Denver doesn’t really have a working person’s spa. A place that’s simple, affordable and gets the job done. With a cute aesthetic if possible. Ideally there would be a a nice little restaurant inside it, women’s and men’s sides as well as a massage option.
The Future of the Denver Pavilions
I’m really excited to see what the development team is envisioning for the Denver Pavilions. My hope is that it will be community forward, not bland and lead with the needs of Denverites while being a fun space to have a more locally focused space downtown. The Eastern side of the 16th Street Mall or 16th Street is needing a boost of energy, a splash of whimsy and thoughtfulness behind how we resurrect the concept. I keep thinking about Pearl Street Mall in Boulder and its dedication to local businesses as the DNA of the heart of Boulder. I think Denver has a wonderful opportunity to breath life back into the space and serve Denverites at the same time. Also, maybe there should be an affordable daycare center that serves people working downtown. What do you think? How do you envision the Denver Pavilions reboot and refresh? Did I leave something off the list?