With the smell of fresh paint still in the air, workers scrambled to put the finishing touches on Denver’s restored Union Station before this weekend’s opening. That’s when the public will get its first look at the revived station and some of its shops and restaurants. A larger grand opening is planned for July 26th.
After a year and seven months of restoration and remodeling, Union Station opens its doors at noon on Saturday. Inside the Grand Hall, where people once waited for steam trains, several new restaurants, as well as a number of bars and even a coffee shop greet visitors.
Some well known local restaurants will open smaller branches of their eateries in the space, including Snooze an AM Eatery, as well as The Kitchen Next Door and a new seafood concept restaurant, Stoic & Genuine, by Euclid Hall Chef Jennifer Jasinski.
Union Station officials hope the Grand Hall will become ‘Denver’s living room.’ There will be spacious seating areas and a raised stage with two large shuffleboard tables open for public use. Guests can also stop by the Terminal Bar adjacent to the hall for numerous Colorado brews on tap.
The new 112 room Crawford Hotel also opens on Saturday inside the station. The $50 million project has turned old porter offices into art deco luxury hotel rooms, and even created an entirely new floor in the station’s former attic. While the public can access the Grand Hall, only those staying at the Crawford will be able to access that area of the station.
The renovated Union Station will connect to RTD’snew multi-modal hub which opened in May, and will also serve as the main terminal for Amtrak’s California Zephyr which stops twice daily in Denver.
The station’s official grand opening will begin at 10 AM on Saturday, July 26th with street vendors, music, and tours of the new station.
The new commuter rail line connecting Denver's Union Station to Denver International Airport is scheduled to be complete by 2016.
