2026 Downtown Denver Award Projects & Legacy Award Recipient Announced
The Downtown Denver Awards celebrate the vision and dedication that makes Downtown Denver thrive. It’s our opportunity to stop and recognize developments that changed the skyline, projects that gave neighborhoods spaces to gather and public corridors that serve our community’s needs.
The Downtown Denver Partnership is excited to announce the six projects that are being recognized with a 2026 Downtown Denver Award and honor Rob Cohen, as this year’s Legacy Award winner. The award recipients represent the projects, businesses and people whose recent contributions to our urban core reflect the values driving our center city forward: investment and opportunity, connection and community, resilience and joy.
16th Street Revitalization: After 18 years of planning and three years of construction across five phases, Denver’s iconic 16th Street reopened on October 4, 2025. The 16th Street Project revitalized the corridor from Market Street to Broadway, improving safety and mobility, replacing deteriorating infrastructure, and creating more opportunities for residents, workers and visitors to enjoy downtown. The redesign expanded the urban tree canopy and added interactive play features that enrich the visitor experience. With a new configuration of sidewalks and transit services, the street offers an improved public space for all of Denver to enjoy.
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Center for the Healing Arts: The center’s 25,000-square-foot expansion honors the legacy of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, while creating new space for arts education, performance and gathering. Serving as a neighborhood anchor and a home for dance in Denver, the center supports creative careers, youth development and multigenerational participation, bringing art, vibrancy and economic activity to Denver’s urban core.
Denver Central Library Renovation: The Denver Central Library is a cornerstone of downtown vitality, and its renovation and enhanced amenity spaces reflect a strong public commitment to reimagining the space for the next generation. Guided by the community's vision and supported by the voter-approved Elevate Denver bond program, the renovated library creates a welcoming, equitable space for the Denver community to gather, learn and access services.
Outside Days: Since debuting in 2024, this nationally recognized event has expanded its footprint in Downtown Denver every year, bringing fresh energy to the heart of our city and uniting music, the arts and the outdoor industry in one place. In the first two years of the festival, the event attracted over 50,000 attendees.
Populus Denver: Named one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places and a MICHELIN Key recipient, the Populus Hotel has put Denver on the national map as the country’s first carbon positive hotel and has become a skyline-defining landmark with its iconic aspen tree inspired exterior. Located on a previously underutilized quarter-acre lot, the Populus serves as a powerful example of what ingenuity, forward-thinking design and bold investment can do for downtown.
Historic Evans School: After sitting mostly vacant for more than 40 years, the historic Evans School has been reimagined and reopened as a neighborhood amenity through thoughtful preservation, investment and adaptive reuse. With businesses like Schoolyard Beer Garden and The Top Floor anchoring the space, the Evans school serves as a meaningful economic driver and community gathering space for the Golden Triangle neighborhood, bringing fresh energy to the area and serving as a model of high-impact historic redevelopment in Downtown Denver.
The Legacy Award
Some people don't just contribute to downtown. They define it. The Legacy Award recognizes an individual whose vision, leadership and sustained commitment has left a mark on the urban core that will outlast any single project. This isn't an award for a moment. It's recognition of a life's work in service of this city.
The Downtown Denver Partnership is proud to present the 2026 Legacy Award to Rob Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Denver-headquartered IMA Financial Group and controlling owner of Denver Summit FC.
Rob has long believed that strong businesses share responsibility for the vitality of their city's urban core, and he has backed that belief with action. He has served on more than 20 nonprofit boards throughout his career, including serving as Board Chair for the Downtown Denver Partnership, Visit Denver, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and Metro Denver EDC. He also founded the Denver Sports Commission and is active in the U.S. Olympic movement, bringing premier sporting events and national attention to Downtown Denver, generating both economic activity and civic pride.
These award recipients were selected by our 2026 awards jurors. The 2026 awards jurors represent Denver's business, education and cultural community. We're thankful for their time and expertise throughout this process.
Join us on Thursday, November 12, at Union Station for the Downtown Denver Awards Community Celebration. Together, we’ll honor the six projects and Rob Cohen, for their lasting impact on downtown.
Community Celebration
Location: Union Station
Date: Thursday, November 12
Time: 7:30 – 10:00 p.m
Thank you to our sponsors for making the Downtown Denver Awards possible!
