LoDo and Union Station
Brick warehouses turned lofts, the city's train hall, and the most walkable blocks in Colorado.
Pricing trends
LoDo prices are set per square foot more than per home, and they range from entry-level studios in the 1990s buildings to the most expensive condominiums in the state in the newest towers. A true historic loft with original timber and a deeded parking space commands a premium over the newer construction of the same size.
| Denver, August 2026 | Median price | Homes sold | Days on market | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Family | $635,000−5.6% vs August 2025 | 483 | 38average days | 1,874 |
| Townhome / condo | $360,000−10.0% vs August 2025 | 213 | 65average days | 2,002 |
Citywide figures for Denver. Source: Local Market Update, August 2026, REcolorado data compiled by the Colorado Association of REALTORS®. Neighborhood-level figures vary; ask me for comparables on any specific home. See all area tables.
About LoDo
Lower Downtown is the oldest part of Denver and, since the 1990s, one of its most successful reinventions. The Victorian-era warehouses between the railyards and the business district became lofts, restaurants and galleries, Coors Field anchored the north end, and the restored Union Station gave the neighborhood a living room. Buyers here are trading a yard for a life on foot.
Location
LoDo sits between the South Platte River and the central business district, roughly from Cherry Creek north to 20th Street and from Speer Boulevard to Larimer Street. Union Station is its transit hub, with the A Line to the airport, commuter rail to the suburbs and the 16th Street Mall shuttle at the door. Commons Park and the Highland pedestrian bridge connect it to LoHi across the river.
History and background
LoDo
Where it sits. LoDo is the lower end of downtown Denver, running along the South Platte River and bordered on its west side by Speer Boulevard and the Cherry Creek Trail. Union Station, Larimer Square and the blocks leading toward Coors Field are all part of it.
LoDo is short for Lower Downtown. It was nicknamed in the 1980s when the ex-wife of a Denver Post columnist suggested Denver needed neighborhood names like SoHo in New York.
The neighborhood goes back to Denver's very first settlement along the riverbanks, which is why its street grid leans northwest. Its Victorian warehouses and storefronts sat in what had become abandoned urban space by the 1980's.
In 1988 city council created the Lower Downtown Historic District, which protected those old buildings, and that same year Wynkoop Brewing opened as Colorado's first brewpub. When Coors Field opened in April of 1995, Wynkoop's sales jumped about 50 percent, and the old brick turned into lofts, restaurants and bars.
Why people like it. LoDo is known for its restored 19th-century brick buildings, Larimer Square shops and restaurants, Union Station, Tattered Cover Book Store and the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, with Coors Field nearby.
Fun fact. Wynkoop Brewing was co-founded in 1988 by John Hickenlooper, who later became Denver's mayor, Colorado's governor and a U.S. senator.
Union Station
Where it sits. Union Station sits at 17th and Wynkoop Streets at the northwest edge of downtown Denver, in LoDo near the South Platte River. The surrounding Union Station neighborhood grew up in the old rail yards around it.
Union Station is called that because it joined Denver's separate railroad stations under one roof. By the 1870's the city had four different depots, and passengers had to cross unpaved streets to change trains. The first station opened in 1881 as the largest structure in the West, with a 128-foot tower.
A fire in 1894, sparked by a chandelier in the ladies' room, destroyed the central section. The station was rebuilt, with a 1914 redesign that gave it the central canopy of wrought iron and glass. Trains thinned out as cars and airplanes took over by the 1950's.
The station was restored and reopened in 2014 as a mix of the Crawford Hotel, restaurants, shops and the Great Hall, and in 2016 the A Line began carrying passengers from here to Denver International Airport. Light rail lines also stop here.
Why people like it. People like the Union Station area for its historic Great Hall, the Crawford Hotel, restaurants and shops, and for rail access: it is the downtown hub for RTD light rail, the A Line to Denver International Airport, and Amtrak.
Fun fact. Over the 17th Street entrance a 'Welcome' arch that also read 'Mizpah' (a Hebrew word meaning 'watchtower' or 'lookout,' also used as a farewell to travelers) was lit by 2,200 electric bulbs, and two benches now mark where it stood.
Sources and caveats for this history
Housing and architecture
Housing is almost entirely attached: timber-and-brick loft conversions in the historic district, 1990s and 2000s loft buildings built to match, and glass high-rises around Union Station and Riverfront Park. Historic district rules protect the warehouse facades, so the original lofts, with their heavy timber columns and tall windows, are a finite supply. Expect HOA dues to be a real part of the monthly cost, and parking to be deeded or leased separately.
Parks and recreation
Commons Park and Confluence Park sit at the river with the Cherry Creek and Platte River trails running through them, which means a car-free bike ride to Cherry Creek or Globeville. Coors Field is in the neighborhood, Ball Arena and Empower Field are a walk or a short ride west, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts is a few blocks south.
Dining, shopping and daily life
Union Station itself holds restaurants, a bar in the great hall and a weekend farmers market on the plaza. Larimer Square, Market Street and Wynkoop Street carry the restaurant and bar scene, Dairy Block adds an alley of shops and food, and the Tattered Cover and the Rockmount Ranch Wear store are long-standing anchors. Groceries are at the Whole Foods on Wewatta Street and the King Soopers at Union Station.
Nearby
Other nearby communities
Downtown Denver Golden Triangle and Civic Center The museum district: condominiums and townhomes wedged between the Capitol, the art museum and Speer. 
Downtown Denver Ballpark Coors Field's back yard, where old brick and new mid-rises meet the edge of RiNo. 
Northeast Denver Capitol Hill and Cheesman Park Denver's densest, oldest and most walkable neighborhood, with mansions, condos and a marble pavilion in the park. 
Downtown Denver Auraria The city's birthplace, now a three-college campus, Ball Arena and the stadium district between the creek and the river. 
Downtown Denver Central Business District The office towers, the 16th Street Mall and a growing number of homes in converted and new high-rises. Let’s talk about LoDo
Tell me what you are looking for in LoDo
Share your timing and what matters most, and I will come back with homes, comparables and an honest read on the market.
Geoffry Kaatz
Real Estate Consultant and Licensed Realtor
303-517-9671
geoffry.kaatz@compass.com
200 Columbine St, Suite 500
Denver, CO 80206