Then and Now

Then and Now: Washington Park

December 22, 2019 By Neil

On a Snowy May Day (May 1st) in 2008 I first visited Washington Park in Denver to photograph the spring snow which was falling in the city. As I walked through the park I came across a tree which had an interesting angle of growth over the Smith Lake.

The response to this initial was extremely positive and the feedback I received pointed out that many thought it was black and white at first until looking deeper into the image.

Around nine months later I went back to photograph once again, however this time on a snowy morning. With the fresh snow I photographed this initial image and also tried a new angle. Over the course of 8 months there was not much change at the location.

Over the course of the years after taking these images I have been park to this location countless time photographing the tree in Washington Park over various seasons.

Recently I visited the park on a similar day to photograph the tree once again. Over the years the scene has not change for the most part.

The most telling change from the growth of the tree I can tell is the location of the light. For the first few years I was able to place this in the same location in the frame quite easily. As the tree has grown it has become more challenging to do so, which has also blending in the two elements.

I will continue to photograph at this location as I have been doing so for over ten years, but will also continue to look for new locations at the park as well.

Then and Now: Union Station

November 24, 2019 By Neil

On a snowy spring evening in 2010, I captured the following image of Union Station in Denver.

Shortly after this image was taken the redevelopment of Union Station started with the dismantling of the platforms one of the first steps in the process.

Towards the end of 2013, from roughly the same location I took this image of the new train station canopy. At this time, the final touches were being put on the train station area. Around Union Station some of the new vertical development was taking shape which would result in the new Union Station area which we see today.

For approximately the same location I took the above images, it is quite different today. With the completion of the five story building along “Block A” the view from 16th Street towards Union Station is blocked by some of the new vertical construction.

Even though the view has changed from 16th Street in the past 9 years, the area as a whole is filled with more opportunities to capture the urban landscape around Union Station. Over the years I have been able to capture some of these changes and continue to find more different views each time I head through the area.

Then and Now: Denver from Millennium Bridge

September 22, 2019 By Neil

Denver Skyline from Millennium Bridge

In December 2007 I was at the Millennium Bridge along 16th Street in Denver to capture the skyline at sunset. Almost 12 years later I went to the same spot on the bridge and it is quite a different view.

Denver from Millennium Bridge 2019

Along 16th Street there are two buildings which are visible in both images, the Barclay Towers (White high rise condo building) and Larimer Place Condos (Red high rise condo building to the right of the Barclay). The majority of the buildings which now make up the view were built in the past five years and are a mix of office space, hotels and apartments. The building closest on the left is 16 Chestnut which opened in 2018 and is sometimes referred to as Davita Tower II. Davita does have a fair amount of space on this building and also their logo on the building, but their are other tenants. Lastly in the original image you can see the light rail tracks heading along 16th Street and then the station near Union Station. This was relocated to its current location a couple years after this image was taken as one of the first components of the Union Station redevelopment project.

Then and Now: Denver Skyline

August 25, 2019 By Neil

Denver Skyline at Sunrise: November 2011

Arriving at one of the more popular locations for sunset photographs of Denver, the sky was clear and the wind brisk. Soon the colors of the sky started to change as civil twilight passed. I noticed a few small clouds a little north of my location and thought it would be nice if those moved south to be in the image. It then came to mind this was the start of the system moving into the city over the next twenty-four hours which was fto bring snow to the city. After about ten minutes more clouds started moving in and I was wondering if enough clouds would develop in the right location for sunrise. As sunrise approached at 7:29 MDT, more and more clouds started to move into the frame and then shortly after sunrise the image was captured.

November 2018 Sunrise in Denver: November 2018

There is something about a November sunrise in Denver. I have photographed during this month many times and always find great color in the sky. This year was no different as I silhouetted the downtown skyline to capture the color of the sky and the lines of downtown. These lines continue to change as Denver the growth of the city remains.

Then and Now: You have to look carefully at both of the images to see the difference over seven years to the skyline when the buildings are silhouettes. During the seven years between the timeframe of the photographs much has happened during the current building boom in Denver, however this image shows the central business district of Denver where there has been limited growth which shows on the skyline. The most noticeable change in these images is to the right of the “cash register” building and the left of the Four Seasons with the 1144 15th Street building. This glass building has made a change to the skyline of Denver and also in this image as it overlaps Republic Plaza.

Then and Now: Denver

August 25, 2019 By Neil

You don’t have to be in Denver long to realize there is quite a bit of growth occurring throughout the city. Over the past ten years, Denver has redeveloped the Union Station area, built out River North, and started to develop in the Golden Triangle area. This doesn’t even start to consider the ongoing development in Stapleton, Lowry and many other communities throughout the city. This growth is just not limited to Denver, as tower cranes have been popping up in many cities across the United States during this decade.

As I was photographing and noticing the changes, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the photographs I have taken around Denver over the years to see what has changed and in some instances what hasn’t changed. In starting this project I was surprised by some of the differences as I visited locations. During this initial time, I also found I was seeing new opportunities to photograph in some of the locations with the changes, or other elements I may not have noticed before as I continue to evolve in my craft.

Each month on the 4th Sunday of the month, I will post a Then and Now image as we explore Denver in more detail.