Beneath your feet is the 16th Street Mall, the mile-long pedestrian promenade that has been Denver's downtown spine since it opened in 1982 and is now undergoing its most substantial renovation since original construction. The Mall was designed by I.M. Pei and Partners as part of a major effort to revitalize downtown Denver, which had been losing retail activity to suburban malls throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The street was closed to private vehicles and fitted with a free shuttle bus service, granite paving, trees, and benches.
For two decades it succeeded impressively — it became one of the most heavily pedestrianized commercial streets in America, and the energy contributed substantially to the revival of LoDo. By the 2010s, however, significant challenges had accumulated: deteriorating retail mix, a substantial homeless presence, and aging physical infrastructure. The renovation now underway includes new paving, improved lighting, reconfigured shuttle service, and emphasis on flexible public space — an attempt to address the problems that accumulated while also preserving what made the Mall work for two decades.