Editing LoDo, Denver (section)

==History==
Prior to European exploration of the area, Native Americans, particularly the [[Arapahoe|Arapaho]] tribe, established encampments along the [[South Platte River]] near or in what is now LoDo. In 1858, after the discovery of [[gold]] in the river, General [[William Larimer]] founded Denver by putting down cottonwood logs in the center of a square mile plot that would eventually be the current LoDo neighborhood, making LoDo both the original city of Denver, as well as its oldest neighborhood. Then, like now, LoDo was a bustling and sometimes wild area known for its saloons and brothels. During the [[Sand Creek Massacre]], it was LoDo where the heads of the slaughtered [[Arapahoe|Arapaho]] tribe were paraded in victory.

As Denver grew, city leaders realized a [[railroad]] was needed to keep Denver a strong city, especially when the [[transcontinental railroad]] bypassed Denver for [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]].  In 1870, after much cajoling from town leaders, residents passed bonds that brought a {{convert|106|mi|km|adj=on}} rail spur from Cheyenne. This and later train lines ended up in the Central Platte Valley, adjacent to LoDo. [[Union Station (Denver)|Union Station]] became the place most people traveled into the city and LoDo would be the first part of the city they would see.  This section eventually became [[Chinatown, Denver|Denver's Chinatown]] from the 1870s to the 1880s, only to be torn down by race riots.

By the mid-twentieth century, what was once a thriving business area had become a [[skid row]]. As highways and airports diminished the dominance of passenger railroad transportation, the importance of Union Station, LoDo's most prominent building, waned.

[[Image:LodoWazee.jpg|right|thumb|Wazee St in LoDo]]
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.<ref>[http://www.lodo.org/about-us2/ LoDo District, Inc. a membership organization in Lower Downtown Denver with historical, cultural, retail & entertainment - LoDo District<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> 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 [http://www.renewdenver.org/ 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.<ref>[https://www.denvergov.org/clerkandrecorder/ClerkandRecorder/RecordsRecording/FindRecords/CityCouncilDocuments/CityCouncilResolutions/tabid/441313/Default.aspx Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder | DenverGov.org<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> These guidelines have been challenged by out-of-state developers but are vigorously defended by residents.

During this time, the neighborhood began its renaissance and new businesses opened. 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 1999 and further established the neighborhood as a sport fan's paradise. New residential development came to LoDo, transforming old warehouses into pricey new lofts.<ref>[http://www.denvergov.org/AboutDenver/history.asp] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050906095554/http://www.denvergov.org/aboutdenver/history.asp |date=2005-09-06 }}. City of Denver. Retrieved on December 10, 2007</ref>