Denver, CO
Historic Denver Works to Save the Historic Zuni Steam Plant – Mile High CRE
Following years of advocacy to Xcel Energy and the City and County of Denver, community members in the Sun Valley and La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhoods, in coordination with Historic Denver, have filed a landmark designation to save the historic Zuni Steam Plant from demolition. This effort comes after Xcel Energy notified community members on February 25, 2025, that the building had been put on the market for sale for 30 days. If a purchase agreement is not signed within those 30 days, Xcel has previously stated that they will seek a demolition permit from the City and County of Denver.
For over a century, the Zuni Steam Plant, located at 1349 Zuni Street, fueled Denver’s growth, shaping both its physical and social landscape. Built in 1901 on the city’s western edge, it was strategically placed to power expansion, supply energy to homes and businesses, and would come to support Mayor Speer’s vision of Denver as the “Paris on the Platte.” It lit up the city’s thriving theater district and kept pace with a booming population—growing from 134,000 in 1900 to 415,000 by 1950. Through continuous modernization until 1953, it placed Denver in a league with other major US cities, fueling its transformation into a modern metropolis.
But this story is not just about infrastructure, it is about community. The surrounding Sun Valley and La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhoods housed generations of workers who built and operated the plant, yet they also bore the environmental burden of its operation. Jeanne Granville of the Sun Valley Community Coalition, said, “As one of Denver’s last remaining early power stations, Zuni represents not only the city’s industrial rise but also its complex legacy of environmental justice. Other power plants have been dismantled, but this site endures, offering a rare opportunity to acknowledge both the achievements and long-term impacts of industrial development on historically underserved communities. In an area feeling the impacts of significant development, Sun Valley is committed to the retention and reuse of Zuni as a community and cultural asset at the heart of our neighborhood.”
These sentiments are echoed by David Griggs of the adjacent La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood: “Although the Zuni Steam Plant is at the edge of our neighborhood, it is central to the story of La Alma Lincoln Park.The Steam Plant employed residents for many years and has become a recognizable local landmark. I am excited about the potential to reuse Zuni and, with a little creativity, it could become a one-of-a-kind space that is respectful of the past and accommodating for the future.”
John Deffenbaugh, president and CEO of Historic Denver, said: “We recognize that reequipping a large industrial building for the modern world is a complex task, but this is not uncommon and has been done before, across the country and around the world. A diverse range of cities including Savannah, Austin, Beloit, Wisconsin, Columbus, Ohio, New York, and London know that historic industrial buildings can be repurposed to serve their communities whilst also generating significant city-wide economic benefit. Denver had the vision to do this before. The REI flagship store is a hugely successful example of adaptively reusing an industrial building— indeed, one that powered Denver’s early streetcar network. If all parties come together to figure out an approach for retaining and transferring Zuni to the private sector, this could be done again.”
Deffenbaugh continues: “Preservationists are often accused of being reactive, but in this case, community members, Historic Denver, and the City and County of Denver have been working for years to convince Xcel Energy of the importance of Zuni Steam Plant. It is disappointing that Xcel has adopted a simplistic approach to the disposal of the Steam Plant that goes against the wishes of the local communities. The timescale of 30 days to agree to a sale is completely unrealistic. We requested this be extended to 180 days and did not receive a response from Xcel. The steam plant was originally constructed to break the monopoly held by Denver Consolidated Gas and Electric Company. It is ironic that the modern monopoly of Xcel Energy now appears determined to demolish the building and erase its story.”
A letter from 10 members of Denver City Council dated, November 3, 2021, stating: “As members of Denver City Council, we write to express our commitment to the Sun Valley and La Alma/Lincoln Park neighborhoods, and to seeing the adaptive reuse of the Xcel Zuni Generating Station.” A subsequent letter from Laura Aldrete, former executive director of city agency Community Planning and Development, dated May 31, 2023 states: “Community support for a forward-looking repurposing of this complex is especially poignant given that, for over 100 years, the adjacent Sun Valley and La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhoods, both with among the lowest incomes in Denver, have suffered the negative environmental impacts imposed by coal-burning power generation.”
Most recently, a letter from all 13 members of Denver City Council was sent on March 20, 2025, encouraging Xcel to continue to progress a pathway towards adaptive reuse of the Steam Plant.
Zuni Steam Plant was placed on Colorado Preservation Inc.’s (CPI) list of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places in January 2024. Executive Director of CPI, Jennifer Orrigo-Charles said: “The Zuni Steam Plant is a cornerstone of Denver’s industrial history and a testament to the city’s resilience and innovation. For over a century, it powered the city’s growth and shaped the communities around it. Now, we have a rare opportunity to reimagine this space—not as a lost relic, but as a vibrant asset for the future. Preservation isn’t just about saving buildings; it’s about honoring the past while creating spaces that serve communities today and tomorrow. CPI stands with Historic Denver and the residents of Sun Valley and La Alma Lincoln Park in urging Xcel Energy and city leaders to embrace a visionary approach that retains Zuni as a cultural and economic driver for generations to come.”
All parties remain committed to working with Xcel Energy to find a mutually agreeable solution that safeguards the future of this historic building and respects the wishes of the surrounding communities.
Denver, CO
Suspects sought in Denver shooting that killed teen, wounded 3 others
Denver police are searching for suspects in a Saturday night parking lot shooting that killed a 16-year-old and wounded three men, at least one of whom is not expected to survive, according to the agency.
Officers responded to the shooting in the 10100 block of East Hampden Avenue about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, near where East Hampden intersects South Galena Street, according to an alert from the Denver Police Department.
Police said a group of people had gathered in a parking lot on the edge of the city’s Kennedy neighborhood to celebrate the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro when the shooting happened.
Paramedics took one victim to a hospital, and two others were taken to the hospital in private vehicles, police said. A fourth victim, identified by police as 16-year-old William Rodriguez Salas, was dropped off near Iliff Avenue and South Havana Street, where he died from his wounds.
At least one of the three victims taken to hospitals — a 26-year-old man, a 29-year-old man and a 33-year-old man — is not expected to survive, police said Tuesday. One man was in critical condition Sunday night, one was in serious condition and one was treated for a graze wound and released.
No suspects had been identified publicly or arrested as of Tuesday afternoon.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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Denver, CO
Denver’s flavored vape ban sends customers across city lines
The new year in Colorado brought new restrictions for people who vape in Denver. As of January 1, a voter-approved ban on flavored nicotine products is now in effect in Denver, prohibiting the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and vaping products within city limits.
Just outside the Denver border, vape shops say they’re already feeling the ripple effects.
At Tokerz Head Shop in Aurora, located about a block and a half from the Denver city line, owner Gordon McMillon says customers are beginning to trickle in from Denver.
“I was in shock it passed, to be honest,” McMillon said. “Just because of how many people vape in Denver. But we’re hoping to take care of everybody that doesn’t get their needs met over there anymore.”
One of those customers is Justin Morrison, who lives in the Denver area and vapes daily. He stopped by the Aurora shop a day after the ban went into place.
Morrison says the ban won’t stop him from vaping. It will just change where he buys his products.
“I’m going to have to come all the way to Aurora to get them,” he said. “It’s pretty inconvenient. I smoke flavored vapes every day.”
The goal of the ban, according to public health advocates, is to reduce youth vaping.
Morrison said flavored vapes helped him quit smoking cigarettes, an argument frequently raised by adult users and vape retailers who oppose flavor bans.
“It helped tremendously,” he said. “I stopped liking the flavor of cigarettes. The taste was nasty, the smell was nasty. I switched all the way over to vapes, and it helped me stop smoking cigarettes completely.”
McMillon worries bans like Denver’s could push some former smokers back to cigarettes.
“If they can’t get their vapes, some will go back to cigarettes, for sure,” he said. “I’ve asked people myself, and it’s about 50-50.”
While McMillon acknowledges it will bring more business to shops outside Denver, he says the ban wasn’t something he wanted.
“Even if it helps me over here in Aurora, I’m against it,” he said. “I feel like adults should have the rights if they want to vape or not.”
More than 500 retailers in Denver removed their flavored products. For many, they accounted for the majority of their sales. Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment says it will begin issuing fines and suspensions to retailers found selling flavored tobacco products.
Both McMillan and Morrison say they’re concerned the ban could spread to other cities. For now, Aurora vape shops remain legal alternatives for Denver customers.
Despite the added drive, Morrison says quitting isn’t on the table.
“It’s an addiction. You’re going to find a way to get it. That’s why I don’t see the point of banning it here,” Morrison said.
Denver, CO
Planning to begin in Denver for American Indian Cultural Embassy
Denver will be the site of the United States’ first-ever American Indian Cultural Embassy.
Funding for the project was approved by Denver voters in the Vibrant Denver Bond measure.
The vision is for the embassy to welcome Native people back home to Colorado.
On the snowy day of CBS News Colorado’s visit, Rick Williams observed the buffalo herd at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
“These animals are sacred to us,” said Williams, who is Oglala Lakota and Cheyenne. “This was our economy. They provided everything we needed to live a wonderful lifestyle.”
Williams is president of People of the Sacred Land and a leader in the effort to build an American Indian Cultural Embassy.
“‘Homeland’ is a special term for everybody, right?” Williams asked. “But for people who were alienated, for American Indians who were alienated from Colorado, they don’t have a home, they don’t have a home community that you can go to, this is it. And I think that’s sad.”
The First Creek Open Space — near 56th and Peña, near the southeast corner of the Arsenal — is owned by the City and County of Denver and is being considered for development of the embassy.
“To have a space that’s an embassy that would be government-to-government relations on neutral space,” said Denver City Councilmember Stacie Gilmore, who represents northeast Denver District 11. “But then also supporting the community’s economic development and their cultural preservation.”
Gilmore said $20 million from the Vibrant Denver Bond will support the design and construction of the center to support Indigenous trade, arts, and education.
“That sense of connection and that sense of place and having a site is so important if you’re going to welcome people back home,” added Gilmore.
“What a great treasure for people in Colorado,” Williams said as he read the interpretive sign at the wildlife refuge.
He said the proposed location makes perfect sense: “Near the metropolitan area, but not necessarily in the metropolitan area, we would love to be near buffalo. We would love to be in an area where there’s opportunities for access to the airport.”
The Denver March Powwow could one day be held at the embassy.
Williams dreams of expanding the buffalo herd nearby and having the embassy teach future generations Indigenous skills and culture.
The concept for the embassy is one of the recommendations emerging from the Truth, Restoration, and Education Commission, a group of American Indian leaders in Colorado who began to organize four years ago to study the history of Native Americans in our state.
And the work is just beginning.
“We have to think about, ‘how do we maintain sustainability and perpetuity of a facility like this?’” Williams said. “So there’s lots of issues that are going to be worked on over the next year or so.”
Williams added, “One day our dreams are going to come true, and those tribes are going to come, and we’re going to have a big celebration out here. We’re going to have a drum, and we’re going to sing honor songs, and we’re going to have just the best time ever welcoming these people back to their homeland.”
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s staff sent the following statement:
“We are excited about the passing of the Vibrant Denver Bond and the opportunity it creates to invest in our city’s first American Indian Cultural Embassy. We are committed to working hand-in-hand with the Indigenous community to plan and develop the future embassy, and city staff have already been invited to listen and engage with some of our local American Indian groups, like the People of the Sacred Land. We are not yet at the stage of formal plans, but we are excited to see the momentum of this project continue.”
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