LOOK: A year on the 16th Street Mall
The 16th Street Mall has been one of our hot topics this year. Here’s a collection of images and stories from Denver’s “Main Street.”
A musician plays on the 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
I keep seeing images of the 16th Street Mall surface in the Denverite image vault, and it made me realize what a massive topic it has been this year.
We’ve covered Mall-specific news and larger stories that happen to cross it. Here’s a collection of images and stories from Denver’s “Main Street.”
Crime
The summer seemed to be dominated by stories of violence on the mall.
Screenshot from a Facebook video by Caleb Bonham. (Caleb Bonham/Facebook)
Authorities blamed disturbances on so-called “urban travelers,” which made us ask, “What is an ‘urban traveler’?”
Yossi Halperin on the corner where he's been holding a sign reading, "25¢ Jokes." Mayor Michael Hancock recently attributed violence on the 16th Street Mall to travelers like Halperin, who has been traveling since 2012. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
The mayor said he might have gotten rough with perpetrators of violence during the Downtown Denver Partnership’s annual meeting.
Mayor Hancock speaks to the Downtown Denver Partnership at their annual meeting. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Then Andy looked deep and found that crime rates overall on the mall were down, even though there seemed to be some hysteria about impending danger.
16th Street Mall crime data
Then we posted up out there all day to see how you really felt about it, which actually turned out to be kind of sweet.
Protests
When more high-profile police killings of unarmed black men struck a national chord in July, the Mall was the venue where Denver came to air its grievances.
Terry Berry (left) yells, "Get a real job," in response to protestors like Patricia Williams who flooded the 16th street mall on July 7 in response to high-profile killings of black men by police in recent days. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Likewise, anger in the wake of the presidential election led thousands to flood the Mall and other places in protest.
Thousands of protestors march down the 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Improvements
Lots of nice public art was installed for your viewing (and touching) pleasure.
Wheels Go Round by Kate Davis Studio (Larry Laszlo/CoMedia)
RTD added a fleet of emissionless buses to move people down the promenade.
RTD commissioned new MallRide buses. (Chloe Aiello/Denverite)
And, related to the aforementioned violence, the Downtown Denver Partnership hired private security to bolster the police presence.
Warner Smith poses in the uniform of the new Downtown Denver Partnership's "private security team." (Adrian D. Garcia/Denverite)
Spectacle
One time we dove into the library’s Western History Collection to find the ghost of 16th Street’s past.
And then Andy interviewed the guy who designed it.
And then there was that one time we saw a ton of grotesque zombies everywhere.
Brandon Townsend, or as he's known at City of the Dead, Chey BoyarScream. Denver Zombie Crawl. Oct. 22, 2016. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
It was a wild year.
Christmas Eve on the 16th Street Mall, 2016. (Kevin J.Beaty/Denverite)
Winter over the 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Manager-in-training Anni Raini (right) and area manager Shelly Wu go over last-minute issues before UNIQLO opens on the 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Jonathon Leddy (left) and Matt Callaway carry an enormous Trump/Pence sign down the 16th Street Mall. A passerby gives Leddy a high five. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Fall foliage over the 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Aldo Martinez strings lights in a tree over the 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Tami Door, President and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Chloe Aiello interviews a passerby on the Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
A man sleeps next to the Social Security Administration building near the 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
A bus takes off on the Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
An H&M model watches from above. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Hand holding. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Kenny Williams and a finch he rescued on the 16th Street Mall. Now the question is: what next? (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Tillman Gandy. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Tamara Door, president of the Downtown Denver Partnership, talks with Andrew Kenney and Kevin J. Beaty at 16th Street Mall Day. (Chloe Aiello/Denverite)
A quinceanera party walks the 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Musician Kasey Davis left Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and has made Denver home. Spotted on the 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
The 16th Street Mall. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Police detain Elijah Landers on the 16th Street Mall on suspicion of trespassing behind a sign that blocked off a nearby alley. The incident summoned 15 police vehicles to the scene. Landers was released soon after. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Police presence on the 16th Street Mall was ratcheted up this summer after several violent incidents in the area went viral. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Yossi Halperin holds up an acceptance letter to Prescott College on July 14, on the corner where he's otherwise been holding a sign reading, "25¢ Jokes." Mayor Michael Hancock attributed violence on the 16th Street Mall to "urban travelers" like Halperin. He's been on the road since 2012. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Elmo. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Stephanie Snyder directs a passerby to write his feelings about the mall. (Chloe Aiello/Denverite)
Police motorcycles lead protests in a touch-and-go escort down the 16th Street Mall on July 7, 2016. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
A man on the 16th Street Mall. (Denverite/Chloe Aiello)
Denver Pavilions at magic hour. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
DPL Central is still under construction, but at least nobody’s stuck in the elevator
Library officials are hopeful things will finish within a year.
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Dancing has helped Colby Ariane embrace her Afro-Latindad since moving to Colorado six years ago.
Relive El Chapultepec’s glory days at Sunday’s Dazzle tribute concert to Denver’s Jazz Latino Heritage
Local jazz figures will play a tribute concert honoring the life and legacy of Denver music icon Freddy Rodriguez Sr.
Denver Health is at a ‘critical point’ due to rising costs and treating uninsured patients, but its city funding is staying the same
The hospital’s costs for treating uninsured patients look set to more than double since 2020.
Things to do in Denver this weekend, Sept. 22-24
The Great American Beer Festival, the Feed Your Seoul Colorado Korean Culture Festival and more!
With the city’s acquisition of Loretto Heights’ library and theater, development of Southwest Denver’s likely future core is well underway
Apartments. Entertainment venues. Green space. And in the future, a "Union Station."
What to expect at this year’s Denver American Indian Festival in Lakewood
The free and family-friendly event will feature food, a kids art and craft station and a lineup of Indigenous performers all weekend long.
A new model of renting comes to Arvada — one where tenants get some money back
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The city's forester says the very wet year will make the views even better than past seasons.
Cómo las familias inmigrantes y refugiadas en Denver pueden solicitar asistencia monetaria única
Las familias que no cumplan requisitos para obtener beneficios federales pueden recibir entre $1,000 y $1,500.
Denver’s 911 service restored after power outage
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The Colorado Korean Culture Festival is coming to Denver this Saturday. Here’s what you can expect
Los Angeles artist Justin Park will headline the event at the Auraria Campus. Expect K-pop dance battles, more than 20 food vendors and an actual Korean wedding ceremony.
RTD maintenance downtown will disrupt service on three light rail lines for the next two weeks
Drivers will also deal with partial street and lane closures.
Good news for builders: Denver’s planning department has improved permitting times for residential projects
Initial reviews have dropped from 12 weeks to between two and four.
All In Motel is still set to be a boutique motel, but the community amenities have been cut from the project
City Council approved the change to the urban redevelopment project this week.
A West Denver microtransit program, new fleet vehicles and more ways Denver plans to spend on transportation next year
Plus, Councilmembers question if the city’s spending can actually reduce deaths and increase traffic safety.
Applications are open for one-time cash assistance for Denver immigrant and refugee families who are ineligible for federal benefits
Families can receive between $1,000 to $1,500.
Denver could have 12 stories of housing near Denny’s on West Alameda. For now, the city’s getting temporary tiny homes
Here is the possibility and the reality of a parking lot in a city in a housing crisis.
Denver police say suspect was denied entry to a LoDo bar before she started shooting
Denver police have still not arrested the woman following Saturday night’s shooting that left 5 people injured.
Starting at $59, someone can help you navigate the Denver airport
The new program will launch Tuesday.