'Pop-Up' Park To Bring New Life To LoDo
DENVER (CBS4) - There's another road closure in downtown Denver -- this time for a fun-filled project.
"It's going to bring a whole new life to the block," artist Pat Milbery said.
The block of 21st Street between Larimer and Lawrence streets is the future site of The Square on 21st. It's a pop-up project offering a park-like space in the city.
"The idea came from the city wanting to bring more green spaces into downtown," Milbery told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann. "There's a big need for getting more parks integrated into the city."
City planners have partnered with local artists like Milbery as well as businesses and the Colorado Rockies to create the new park.
The City and County of Denver and the Downtown Denver Partnership developed the idea in an effort to transform a popular part of the city.
The Square on 21st will eventually provide a space filled with lots of trees where people can relax in the shade, a stage for live music and entertainment, a dog park, as well as lawn space for outdoor games.
"Everything from like croquet to bocce ball and other lawn games," Milbery said. "There's going to be food trucks, too."
Volunteers are helping complete the pop-up project. Many families spent part of their holiday weekend painting planters and setting up the future park. Ryan Archibald along with his wife and two young kids volunteered Sunday morning and said the project is just what Denver needs.
"We're obviously growing," Archibald said of Denver. "We're attracting a lot of people downtown and we have all this space for cars. It could be used for other things like this dog park, which is going to be perfect for people in these apartments."
Brooke Allison volunteered with her husband and 2-year-old son, Cole. They frequent the Ballpark neighborhood and look forward to the new park opening next month.
"The more fun activities there are for families, I think, the more draw it's going to be," Allison said.
Artists and volunteers will spend the next couple of weeks putting the finishing touches on the pop-up park, including a massive mural on the street mimicking the Colorado flag. The Square on 21st opens to the public on June 15 and will remain open through Aug. 15.
Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team in 2012 as the morning reporter, covering national stories like the Aurora Theater Shooting and devastating Colorado wildfires. She now anchors CBS4 Weekend Morning News and reports during the week. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @KellyCBS4.
