LoDo stretches roughly between Larimer Street, the Union Station area and the South Platte side of downtown, with Coors Field at its northeast edge. Its core is a designated historic district made up largely of late 19th and early 20th century brick warehouses and commercial buildings. Most have been converted: ground floors to restaurants, bars and shops, upper floors to offices and residential lofts, sometimes with rooftop additions.
For a property manager, that mix means old structure, modern systems retrofitted into it, and very different occupants stacked on top of each other. A restaurant kitchen can sit directly under an office, and an office under a residential loft owned by someone else.
What is typical here
- Structure
- Load-bearing brick exterior walls, heavy timber or early steel interior framing.
- Roofs
- Flat, often with internal drains, parapets and later rooftop additions or decks.
- Basements
- Common, sometimes with old foundation walls and below-grade utility rooms.
- Occupancy
- Food and drink on the ground floor, offices and lofts above, frequent turnover of restaurant tenants.
- Oversight
- Exterior changes in the district generally need preservation review; interior work needs normal permits.
LoDo versus a downtown glass tower
LoDo warehouse conversion
- Water soaks into brick and timber and dries slowly.
- Roof drains and parapets are frequent leak points.
- Retrofitted plumbing and sprinklers run in exposed or improvised routes.
- Original materials are part of the building's value and character.
Modern high-rise
- Water moves fast through shafts and penetrations.
- Curtain wall joints and slab edges are common leak points.
- Systems run in predictable risers and ceiling plenums.
- Finishes are standard and easily replaced.
Before a loss in a LoDo building
- Map roof drains, their interior routes and cleanouts.
- Know which walls are original masonry and which are newer partitions.
- Locate any existing hazardous materials surveys for older finishes.
- Record grease interceptor and kitchen exhaust locations for restaurant tenants.
- Keep a list of contractors with documented historic masonry and plaster experience.
- Confirm with Denver Landmark Preservation what exterior repairs would need review.
Common questions
Do interior repairs in LoDo need historic review?
Interior work generally goes through normal building permits, while exterior changes in the district may need preservation review. Confirm with Denver Landmark Preservation for your specific building and scope before work starts.
Why do restaurant losses come up so often here?
Ground floors are full of kitchens, bars and grease interceptors, and older buildings have many unsealed openings between floors. Small fires, drain backups and kitchen leaks can reach offices and lofts above more easily than in a modern building.
General information for Downtown Denver, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.