| April 25, 1988 |
Groundbreaking is held for the 900,000 square-foot, $126 million Colorado Convention Center. |
| June 15, 1990 |
The Colorado Convention Center opens with a 10-day celebration. |
| January 15, 1997 |
A study commissioned by the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau recommends doubling the size of the center and says a hotel should be built within two blocks. If the center doesn’t expand, the study says, Denver could lose $182 million in delegate spending annually. |
| August 2, 1998 |
Developer Bruce Berger pays $3.3 million for the former Denver Post site at 15th and California streets and plans a convention center hotel there. |
| February 25, 1999 |
A mayoral task force proposes a convention center expansion in conjunction with construction of a 1,000-room headquarters hotel. |
| July 20, 1999 |
Mayor Wellington Web announces that Marriott International intends to operate and invest in a 1,100-room hotel with developer Bruce Berger. Berger requests a $50 million subsidy for the project. |
| November 2, 1999 |
Denver voters approve $268 million in bonds for the expansion. Opening date projected June 2003. |
| August 2, 2000 |
After 14 months, negotiations break down and eventually collapse between Marriott and Berger, apparently because of Marriott’s refusal to use union workers. |
| November 15, 2000 |
Berger selects Hyatt Regency to operate his proposed hotel. |
| January 9, 2001 |
The Denver City Council approves a $55.3 million subsidy to Berger to build a Hyatt hotel. |
| April 20, 2001 |
The Denver City Council approves a $1.7 million contract to demolish Currigan Hall. Demolition is due to be completed in April 2002. |
| May 18, 2001 |
The Denver Post reveals that the City is eliminating the 5,000-seat theater because the cost of the TerraCentre is too expensive. |
| July 3, 2001 |
Denver pushes back a financing deadline for Berger. |
| July 18, 2001 |
A Denver district judge rules against members of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union Local 14 in its attempts to call a referendum on whether Denver can subsidize a convention center hotel. |
| October 16, 2001 |
Denver officials announce they will pay $15 million to buy the TerraCentre building. It is torn down to make room for the convention center expansion and the 5,000-seat theater |
| March 20, 2002 |
Webb sets an opening date of December 2004 for the expansion, 18 months later than the original target date of June 2003. |
| March 27, 2002 |
Webb rejects a request by Berger for another extension to line up financing and says the city would finance the hotel. |
| April 15, 2002 |
Ace Hardware, the first expansion customer, releases its dates because the City and construction company cannot confirm that the building will be ready. |
| April 29, 2002 |
Groundbreaking for construction of the expansion. |
| May 22, 2002 |
Mayor announces that four hotel chains have made the cut and expect to narrow to two in June of 2002. The four finalists are Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Westin. |
| May 23, 2002 |
Guaranteed Maximum Price and Construction Schedule are due. Date comes and goes. |
| August 19, 2002 |
The city decides to negotiate with Hyatt to operate the hotel. |
| October 31, 2002 |
Mayor Webb picks the convention center hotel site between 14th and 15tth streets between Welton and California. |
| January 22, 2003 |
Denver City Council gives initial approval to purchase land for the convention center hotel for $23.25 million. |
| January 31, 2003 |
Hensel Phelps is selected to build the 1,100-room convention center hotel. |
| February 25, 2003 |
Denver City Council creates a non-profit corporation that will oversee the hotel. Seven board members are named to who will oversee the corporation. An economic development agreement between the City and the corporation is drafted and a fund is established for money generated by the hotel and authorized expenditures from it. |
| March 4, 2003 |
Denver City Council approves construction of the hotel. |
| March 27, 2003 |
Bill Moser hired as executive officer of the Denver Convention Center Hotel Authority. |
| April 25, 2003 |
An attorney representing local construction unions, whose steps toward placing a citywide referendum on the ballot have threatened the Colorado Convention Center hotel project, announces that a tentative agreement between the city and unions has been reached. |
| May 17, 2003 |
Members of the carpenters union, backed by City Council candidate Tony Robinson, are pushing for a vote on the ballot that might also threaten the convention center hotel project. The union believes that the city has not gone far enough to ensure that contractors working on the hotel will provide adequate wages and benefits for workers. The group will have until June 5th to gather the 2,458 signatures required to put the referendum on the November ballot. |
| May 18, 2003 |
Ex-council candidate Tony Robinson removes his name from the carpenters union petition stating, “I made too quick of a judgment. I was too hasty.” |
| June 6, 2003 |
The carpenters union dropped their effort to put the city’s proposed 1,100-room convention center hotel on the November ballot. |
| June 30, 2003 |
Groundbreaking ceremony for the 1,100-room Hyatt Hotel. |
| March 25, 2004 |
Topping off of the Colorado Convention Center Expansion |
| December 6, 2004 |
Opening of the Colorado Convention Center Expansion |
| April 11, 2005 |
Topping off of the Hyatt Regency Convention Center Hotel |
| December 1, 2005 |
Opening of the Hyatt Regency Convention Center Hotel |
