Zuni Power Steam Plant - Historic Denver

CURRENT ISSUES

Zuni Steam Power Plant

The Future of Zuni Steam Plant

Get Involved

Sign a change.org petition created by Sun Valley Coalition to save the building.

The Zuni Steam Plant has been a continuous presence on the banks of the South Platte River for over 122 years. Conceived with state-of-the-art equipment and electricity production techniques in 1901, it provided Denver with the energy capacity necessary for the city to expand throughout the 20th century. Its smokestacks towered over the communities of La Alma Lincoln Park, Sun Valley, and other west side neighborhoods long before the Colfax Viaduct or Interstate-25 established it as a more recognizable feature for residents across the entire city. The plant’s legacy, while widely beneficial to the growth of the city, presents a complicated past for those neighbors that have historically been affected by its environmental impacts. However, these communities are steadfast in their belief that the building should be retained and reused, flipping the paradigm and breathing new life into a piece of their built heritage as a community-serving asset.

Decommissioned in 2021, the building finds itself at a crossroads. No longer needed by its owner, Xcel Energy, and subject to environmental remediation to restore the land to an industrial grade, due to be completed at the end of this year, the building will be vacant.

There are examples of historic industrial and power generating facilities across the country, and indeed the world, that have been repurposed for the twenty-first century. The incredible scale of these spaces lend themselves to cultural and community serving uses and we call upon the Xcel Energy and the City and County of Denver to create the time and space for a meaningful dialogue with private sector partners about the future of this unique building. Historic Denver appreciates the scale of this challenge but believes the outcome could be breathtaking. It is time for Denver to give back to the building that powered the growth of our city for over a century.

Why It Matters

In early 2024, the building was added to a list of Colorado’s top 5 most endangered places by the nonprofit Colorado Preservation, Inc (CPI). This underscores the historical importance of the plant and promotes its supporter’s aspiration to transform it into a civic and community-serving space.

We envision a bright and vibrant future for the steam power plant. We see it serving local neighborhoods with uses that support adjacent communities through the creation of amenities and employment opportunities, pushing back on displacement and gentrification, and creating the walkable 15-minute neighborhoods Denver aspires to. The buzz of electricity will be replaced by the buzz of activity as the Zuni Station becomes a community heart at the intersection of established and new neighborhoods in this rapidly developing area either side of the South Platte River.

Historic Denver’s Role

Historic Denver expresses strong support for the retention and reuse of Denver’s historic Zuni Steam Plant at 13th and Zuni Street. In November 2023, Historic Denver, on behalf of over 30 community and city-wide advocate sent a letter to Mayor Mike Johnston advocating for a dialogue about the future of the steam plant and championing its adaptive reuse. The letter encouraged the City and County of Denver to exercise its first right of refusal to take ownership of the building.