Margaret Jackson at the Denver Post recently reported on a planned redo of parts of Writer Square on Block 069. Here’s a link to the article.
The plan calls for the construction of a glass pyramid at 16th and Lawrence that will serve as an entrance, Louvre-style, to a retail or restaurant space below. The plan also includes a moat (!) and a general decluttering of the pedestrian areas of their planters, furniture, and sculptures. The article also included a rendering of the proposed pyramid structure:
First, I must say that this rendering is pretty lame. I certainly couldn’t do any better myself–in fact, not even this good, as artistic renderings are not in my realm of skills–but if I were making public my grand plans for a prominent Downtown Denver space, I’d come up with something better than this. The “pyramid” looks like light beams being cast down from a street lamp.
Nevertheless, it isn’t about the quality of the rendering, it’s about the proposed plan, so let’s talk about that. I’ve always been a bit conflicted over how I feel about Writer Square. On one hand, I find the diagonal cut through the block to be a rather pleasant place. It’s exactly the planters and their overflowing flowers, the sculptures, and the pedestrian furniture to be what I enjoy most about Writer Square. Granted, the sculptures are hardly cutting-edge art, and the whole space has a quaintness to it that seems a bit odd for its urban location, but somehow it still seems to generally work. On the other hand, Writer Square’s edges along Larimer, 15th, and Lawrence are definitely much less successful, and even the interior passage has never been the vibrant, people-gathering place I think most people have hoped it would be.
So, having said all of that, I am initially not opposed to the idea that Writer Square could use some updating. If nothing else, the physical site improvements and storefronts are pushing 30 years old, so some rehabilitation work is necessary, and the willingness of a property owner to make a significant investment in their property is always a positive sign. However, is this the right fix for this site?
Let’s start with the moat. A moat, by definition, is a physical element meant to serve as a barrier. Pedestrian barriers are the last thing we need more of in Downtown Denver. I have a hard time envisioning how a moat in a highly pedestrianized area is going to be a good thing. If the moat is narrow enough to not be a barrier (i.e. you could step over it), then it seems like it will only be a pedestrian hazard. If it’s too wide to cross except for where there are “bridges,” then for six months of the year, the moat will end up being a dry, litter collector. I may be convinced otherwise if I see a detailed plan of how this moat would work, but at the moment, I think the moat is a bad idea.
The pyramid, however, could have some potential. If it is scaled and sited correctly, made of high quality materials, and expertly designed with an attention to detail, it could be a striking addition to the interface between the 16th Street Mall and Writer Square that serves as a landmark and gathering place for that part of Downtown. Or, if not well done, it could look like some cheap bus-shelter/greenhouse concoction that, in a few years, people will be demanding its removal. I fear for the latter.
I say keep the flower pots, lamps, and seating in the interior of the block while making some improvements to the plaza’s deteriorating hardscape surface, storefronts, and the quality and diversity of the public art, and focus the investments on improving the edges. Perhaps there’s a way to go vertical with some higher density development along the Lawrence and 15th Street sides or to reconfigure the storefronts along those streets to make them more viable. I’m not opposed to doing something to improve Writer Square, but replacing its most charming pedestrian features with a pyramid and a moat seems to me to be the wrong solution to the wrong problem.
