Editor’s Notebook

May/June 2008

Mile-High Showcase

The Democrats Are Coming! The Democrats Are Coming!

By Mark J. Shaw, Editor-in-Chief

Most editors will tell you that it’s a sticky business trying to write news stories about your own hometown, having to deal with objectivity, proximity, perceived conflicts of interest; that sort of thing.

That’s why the “Denver Prepares to Host the DNC” cover story in this issue of Constructor—a feature about how my hometown, the Mile High City, is scrambling to get ready for the Democratic National Convention in August—was written by veteran reporter Jennifer Seward, and not me.

As Jennifer reports, the city is scrambling to put its best boot forward, while sustaining one of the busiest construction markets in the country. Despite how some of the more conservative locals may feel about the Democrats arriving for their big party, most Denverites admit the convention will be good for the city. The national exposure, a coming-of-age emergence from Denver’s reputation as a former cow town, and, of course, the bundles of cash that the folks in blue will be spreading across the metropolitan area contribute to a feel-good atmosphere.

But there are some potential risks as well. In addition to the 30,000-plus delegates, candidates and their assorted entourages, the city could see more than 17,000 members of the media here. That means intense international scrutiny, especially in a year when the battle for the Democratic nomination has been so fierce.

“What’s different from other big conventions we’ve hosted is the media attention and the sphere of influence of the people that will be here,” says Richard Scharf, president of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

It’s not the first time the city has hosted a national political convention, but it’s been 100 years since Warren G. Harding officially launched his presidential run here in 1908. I doubt that he would recognize the city, even if he had been here in 1988. In the past 20 years, Denver has built or replaced all of its major sports arenas: Invesco Field at Mile High (Denver Broncos), Coors Field (Colorado Rockies), Pepsi Center (Colorado Avalanche, hockey, and Denver Nuggets, basketball) and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Colorado Rapids, soccer) in nearby Commerce City.

It has added miles and miles of new light-rail lines and is in the process of building a hundred more. The area has given birth to a world-class health-care campus on the site of a former Army base in Aurora and added key elements to its arts scene, with the completion of an iconic new addition to the Denver Art Museum, the renovation of a world-class opera house and the city’s new Museum of Contemporary Art.

City fathers want Denver to showcase itself as a cosmopolitan city with a “New West” energy, built upon fresh ideas, good planning and burgeoning mass transit. They’re hoping the world will take note of the area’s sustainability and livability, access to the mountains and recreation opportunities and a growing arts and entertainment scene.

And, as conventioneers will see, Denver’s downtown is booming. At last count there were more than a dozen tower cranes dotting the city’s skyline. The local building community is busy constructing mixed-use high-rises, a new justice center, transit developments, lofts, hotels, offices and condos, and planning a makeover of the city’s historic train station, Union Station, into a regional transportation hub.

The level of building activity and civic energy is enough to make even the few sober conventioneers dizzy—if they aren’t already light headed from the altitude, mountain views and fresh air.