Lower Downtown Denver or “LoDo” is a 23-block area of the oldest and original settlement of the city. Reknowned for its nightlife, the area is a mixed- use historic district that is a prime example of urban revitalization. The area in is the Union Station neighborhood and is bounded by Cherry Creek/Speer Boulevard, 20th Street, Lawrence Street and the South Platte River.

The Lower Downtown Historic District, known as LoDo, was created by the enactment of a zoning ordinance by Denver City Council in March 1988. The resolution’s intent was to encourage historic preservation and to promote economic and social vitality in Denver’s founding neighborhood at a time when it still held significant historic and architectural value. The status granted by this special designation provided protection to the community’s archivable resources and to the 127 contributing historic structures that remained after roughly 20% of Lower Downtown’s buildings had been demolished through DURA policies in the 1960s and 1970s. LoDo’s historic district ordinance includes zoning that restricts building height and encourages mixed use development. It stipulates strict design guidelines for rehabilitation and new construction.

During this time, the neighborhood began its renaissance. New businesses opened, such as Wynkoop Brewery, developed by future Denver mayor and Colorado governor John Hickenlooper. Gradually LoDo became a destination neighborhood. By the time Coors Field opened on the edge of the LoDo Historic District in 1995, the area had revitalized itself, becoming a new, hip neighborhood filled with clubs, restaurants, art galleries, boutiques, bars, and other businesses. Pepsi Center, located on the other edge of the neighborhood, opened in 2000 and further established the neighborhood as a sport fan’s paradise. New residential development came to LoDo, transforming old warehouses into pricey new lofts.