A $250 million mixed-use project, Denver Rock Drill, is proposed for the northwestern part of the Cole neighborhood near the 38th and Blake transit station. To be developed by the Weiss Family and Saunders Development, the project takes its name from the historic Denver Rock Drill Manufacturing Company building at the site. The property covers two city blocks south of East 40th Avenue between Franklin and Williams with an additional parcel one block to the east on High Street. The Google Earth image below shows the project site outlined, while the second image is a bird’s-eye aerial of the existing conditions, courtesy of the development team:

Denver Rock Drill will consist of 150,000 square feet of office space, 180 residential units, a 175-room hotel managed by Sage Hospitality, and 65,000 square feet of retail. The development will add 550,000 square feet of new construction to 150,000 square feet of existing buildings that will be restored and adapted to new uses. The site’s alleys, rail spurs, and other spaces between buildings will serve as passages, courtyards, drives, and other public places.

Below is a rendering of Denver Rock Drill at build-out, followed by two additional exhibits. The first is a 3D diagram showing the location and massing of the new buildings and the restored historic structures, and the other is a site plan showing the existing buildings and historic uses with the new functions indicated by color. These images are courtesy of Tryba Architects, the project architect.

Here are some additional renderings showing proposed interior spaces of some of the historic buildings and outdoor public passageways.

The photograph below from the development team shows part the existing outdoor spaces between the historic buildings. For additional images, renderings, aerial views, and information about the rich industrial heritage of the site, please check out this excellent video by Tryba Architects:

The project is currently in the pre-leasing stage and construction on Phase 1, which consists of the new hotel and the renovation of the existing buildings, should begin in the first quarter of 2018.

What a beautiful example of integrating new construction with historic preservation and bringing together a wide range of uses into a walkable, transit-accessible site!