The Rialto Block Is Where Downtown Loveland's Holiday Season Lands

"It's been pretty quiet still … it's not appealing to walk by stuff like that," Billie Colson told the Loveland Reporter-Herald on October 1. Colson owns Independence Gallery on the 200 block of East Fourth Street. Her gallery and Lighthouse Dance were evacuated after a contracted worker running machinery hit a support beam inside 225 E. Fourth St. on Wednesday afternoon, September 30. Part of an interior roof came down. Nobody was hurt. Structural engineers called the building unsafe, and the two businesses next door have to stay closed until contractors shore it up.

That building is the future Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant. It sits across Fourth Street from the Rialto Theater. The City says the official downtown Christmas tree goes back up in front of the Rialto this season. So the block getting the most holiday attention is also the block with the most work still underway. The Heart Improvement Plan streetscape is close to finished. Whether this season fills downtown depends on what happens inside the buildings along one block.

A Street Finished Mostly on Schedule

The HIP Streets project started in February 2025. It rebuilt five blocks of Fourth Street, from Garfield to Washington avenues. As of September 21, four of the five were done. The last one, between Cleveland and Railroad avenues, was still closed to cars and on track to finish in November. BNSF replaced the rails, crossing panels and ballast at the Fourth Street crossing while the street was torn up anyway. Project manager Shelley Aschenbrenner said the old panels were in "pretty rough shape." Crews on that last block have started laying pavers, so its businesses no longer need temporary ramps at their front doors.

Much of the work is underground and easy to miss. In May, the City said the stormwater and water line upgrades were done ahead of schedule and under budget. Some of the pipes being replaced dated to the late 1800s.

The Rialto block, between Lincoln and Cleveland avenues, reopened to cars and parking on July 24. Work there had started in December 2025. Its official grand opening was held with Pastels on 5th Street on September 12.

What Changed Under Your Feet

If you haven't been downtown since the barricades went up, here is what's different:

• Parking is parallel now. Angled spaces on Fourth Street became parallel ones, and the extra room went to sidewalks. The project FAQ estimates 30 to 40 more spaces on nearby streets. Each block gets one or two short-term or drop-off spots, and ten ADA spaces are spread along the corridor.
• Bikes share the lane. Sharrows mark the street instead of dedicated bike lanes, and bike parking is planned.
• Water drains to the middle. Runoff flows to the center of the street instead of to curb gutters. The City says this design supports pedestrian-friendly events and festivals.
• Lights for events. The new blocks have paver sidewalks, new light poles and overhead string lights that can be adapted for celebrations. The final block is getting boulder seat walls.
• Art comes back slowly. Sculptures are returning to new sandstone pedestals at the corner of each block, including nine pieces from The Art Advocacy Project's rotating program. A new art feature running the length of all five blocks is due in the first quarter of 2027.

Fourth Street is still a through-street. The design keeps cars on it and makes the edges wider, and the drainage and lighting make it easy to close for a night.

Why the 200 Block Matters

The City's own list of what's still coming centers on the Rialto block. The historic Fourth Street clock is being restored with Downtown Development Authority funding and will go back near its original spot "in the coming months." The Rialto is adding a new marquee directly on Fourth Street. It will also reinstall "Persistence of Vision," the bronze sculpture by Patrick Kennedy.

The same block holds two of downtown's oldest vacancies. Sean Hawkins, executive director of the Loveland Downtown District, wrote that the former Mr. Neat's space next to Independence Gallery had been empty for about 20 years. He said a restaurant there "will draw hundreds of people to downtown every week," which would help Independence Gallery, The Collab Boutique and Tap and Tavern. Down the street at 243 E. Fourth, across from Henry's Pub, crews are restoring a building from 1900 for The Dug and Firkin. It's a brewpub serving British-style ales and food. In July, Hawkins said it would open later this year and called the restoration "extensive and challenging." We couldn't confirm an opening date as of early October.

Hawkins also made a point about vacant buildings that applies to the whole district. Larimer County Assessor records show a vacant downtown property can pay half the property tax of an active one next door, and it collects no sales tax at all. The 200 block holds two of these buildings in the middle of the corridor, so filling them changes more than one storefront.

The collapse added a delay. A week earlier, Hawkins had written that the Rio would open "come next spring." The October 1 report gave no estimate for when the building would be safe again. The City's construction update also lists the west half of Sweetheart Alley, from Cleveland to 225 E. Fourth, as closed for demolition and asbestos work.

The nearby businesses never closed during construction. Laurie Doescher of Canyon Collectables lost power as a precaution on the afternoon of the collapse and opened late the next day. "They see this, and they don't know that I am open," she said.

Where the Season Lands

Several of the dates below put people right on the Rialto block. The Rialto is at 228 E. Fourth St.

The Night on the Town dates come from the Downtown District's second-Friday schedule. We didn't find separate listings for November or December. The busiest day is November 13, when The Drifters, Night on the Town and the first day of the ski swap all happen on Fourth Street.

The Festival of Lights is the big one. Organizers say this year's festival will be on "the newly completed 4th Street." The evening includes a tree lighting, live music, a holiday market, live reindeer, carriage rides, and Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Floats on 4th returns for a second year and adds two blocks to the festival. Floats park along both sides of the street, and the center stays open for walking. Marching bands, dancers and other performers move through the crowd. A parked parade with an open center lane is the kind of event the center-drain design was built for.

Two exhibitions on the Downtown District calendar run through the holidays. "Found on Fourth" is up through February 13, 2027. "Creative Confluence: The Origins of Abstract Art in Colorado, 1946–1960" runs through January 2, 2027.

Spending Downtown This Season

The Downtown District gives a $100 gift card every week to one shopper who submits proof of a downtown purchase. It's an easy reason to keep a receipt from dinner at Comet Chicken or a beer at Verboten Brewing. Hawkins gives ice cream at Josh and John's as the classic next stop after either one.

Before you go, check whether Independence Gallery and Lighthouse Dance have reopened. As of the latest report, they were waiting for the building next door to be stabilized.

More renovations are lined up behind this season. Hawkins has written about plans for the former 30,000-square-foot Loveland Elks Lodge on Fourth Street and a project taking shape at the former Colotex site at Third Street and Lincoln Avenue. Bank of Colorado's new two-story building at Third Street and Cleveland Avenue was scheduled to open this fall. The Fourth Street pavement is scheduled to be finished in November. The buildings along it will keep changing well into 2027.

If you own property near downtown and want to talk about what the finished Fourth Street and these building projects could mean for your plans, Beth Bishop Real Estate would be glad to walk through it with you. Schedule Your Complimentary Home Strategy Consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.