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DENVER — It has been five years since the massive renovation project at Denver Union Station was completed in July 2014. The transformation helped spark a renewal of the entire Lower Downtown area, and the building now serves as a historic landmark surrounded by many new buildings that have risen in the last decade.

Union Station was originally completed in 1881 and was rebuilt following a fire that occurred three years later.

However, before it was most recently renovated, it was slated for demolition.

“It would have been really sad,” said Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality president and CEO. The company operates the Crawford Hotel within Union Station.

Now, the Regional Transportation District owns the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The $54 million renovation rebuilt areas in which both trains and buses arrive and depart.

The Crawford Hotel was also built as part of the renovation. It includes rooms in what used to be the attic of the building.

“The attic was never occupied until five years ago,” said Isenberg.

The modern Union Station also features numerous restaurants, bars and shops.