The Colorado Department of Transportation closed a $50 millioin deal with the Union Pacific Railroad to buy the 58-acre Burnham Yard in central Denver.

About 17 acres of the rail yard will accommodate improvements on adjoining Interstate 25, while also preserving right of way for light rail and, someday possible possibly Front Range commuter rail.

State and Denver planning officials will collect community input before deciding how to use the rest of the parcel, which is zoned for industrial uses.

“Burnham Yard is a transformational transit property for our state and can help Colorado meet our goals for making housing more affordable, commutes shorter and our air cleaner,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Wednesday evening.

The yard in the Lincoln Park neighborhood near Interstate 25 and the South Platte River from Fourth to 13th avenues, dates back to 1871 to serve the fast-growing Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Union Pacific closed it in 2016.

Historic Denver released a research report on the prooerty, which is available by clicking here. 

“The six surviving historic buildings and three historic site features at Burnham Yards, and their associated relationships, create a highly unusual and significant surviving industrial historic district in Denver,” the report states. “The six contributing railroad buildings date from 1901 to 1943, with additions through 1965, and were built foremost as utilitarian industrial facilities to house the bustling activities of the (railroad’s) operations.

“The size and height of the 1901 Coach Shop, the 1924 Steel Car Shop, and enormous 1924 Backshop all reflect their uses to construct, repair, and maintain massive railroad equipment. All six buildings were designed and built with durable materials and occasional flourishes of bricklayers’ art.”

The state is putting down $15 million and borrowing the rest of the $50 million price.

The High Performance Transportation Enterprise, the state-owned entity that operates the state’s express lanes, had hoped to buy the property since 2019, but saw its income shrink with the pandemic. The Office of Economic Development and International Trade is splitting the down payment, and the state is borrowing the rest.

“This purchase represents a down payment on a multimodal, sustainable transportation future along the Front Range,” state highway director Shoshana Lew said. “This strategically located parcel is important for both transportation and economic development, which is why multiple agencies including CDOT and OEDIT have worked together on its purchase.”

She said CDOT looked forward to partnering with others, including the city and county of Denver, “as we develop a shared vision of this area.”

OEDIT executive director Patrick Meyers called the investment in infrastructure “an investment in Colorado’s economic prosperity.”

He added, “We are pleased that we can help make this development possible.”