DenverInfill Blog

Don’t be confused by the name! This project has been going on for a while. Formally known as 2300 Walnut, The Douglas has started to take off making a great presence in the Ballpark neighborhood.

Timber framing has started to wrap around the parking structure covering most of it up except for the entrance and exit. The Walnut Street side has topped out at five stories. Remember, The Douglas is taking up an entire city block that has suffered as a parking lot for so many years; this going to have a huge impact in this part of the Ballpark neighborhood.

Looking down Walnut Street from 24th, The Douglas continues the street wall Premier Lofts started. Even though Walnut is a pretty wide street, this stretch still feels very urban and closed in.

They will be using brick on the facade which will look sharp while blending into the surrounding buildings.

The Douglas is set for completion later this summer. For leasing information head on over to their website.

Today we are going to take a quick peek at the Legacy 22nd project. In my last update demolition was underway and present day, the old structure is gone.

Right now, along with many other projects, we are at the ‘hole-in-the-ground’ phase of this development. Foundations need to be poured along with a parking structure so it will be a while before we see this break street level.

As a reminder, Legacy 22nd will add 212 apartment units to the Ballpark neighborhood in a 6-story structure occupying a half block (roughly the length of 2020 Lawrence). Imagine how much more complete the street wall will be along Lawrence in a couple years! Exciting!

Kitty-corner from 2020 Lawrence, demolition is underway for the Legacy 22nd project. As a refresher, Legacy 22nd is a 6-story, 212-unit, half block apartment building. For some renderings head on over to Ken’s post here.

Now for a look at the site and what’s being demolished. I’m a little sad to see this building go and always wondered if its incorporation in the new development was impossible. But, on the flip side, this is taking another step in revitalizing this area of our city center and moving more people downtown. Quixotes True Blue occupied this building originally and had some funky art at street level which was always an intriguing sight when walking by. They are now relocating to 13th and Grant in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

For a little nostalgia, here is what the Quixotes True Blue building looked like with all of its art. These are a little higher resolution so make sure you click to enlarge!

Here’s a fun little shot that shows how much density and street presence just two buildings add to a particular street. This is 2020 Lawrence and its slightly older neighbor Solera dominating this end of Lawrence Street. Legacy 22nd will soon add to this emerging street wall.

Infill is still kicking off in 2013 and at this rate, we are going to have one exciting year in Downtown Denver!

Heading over to the Ballpark neighborhood, we are going to be taking a look at the 2300 Walnut project. This is another development that is healing a full block from parkinglotitis.

Yes, there is a very large parking structure but, this is isn’t what you are going to see when the project is complete. Everything but the entrance/exit on Walnut street (the section that juts out) will be covered by apartment units.

Heading around the structure we can see that construction has begun on the apartments themselves. Just like One City Block, you can clearly see how large of a build out this is and how much of an impact it is going to make at street level. I’m very excited to see this added density in this area of downtown.

2300 walnut is another great example of a development filling in a crucial hole in downtown’s urban fabric while making a huge street level impact.

Today we are going to be covering another key development in the Ballpark neighborhood: Broadstone Blake Street. Located directly across Coors Field, Broadstone Blake Street is filling in a very important gap, and helping restore the urban fabric along Blake Street.

First, a look down inside. It looks like the foundation for the building and underground parking structure has begun. Underground parking structures usually take a bit of time, so it’s going to be a while until we see this break street level, but it looks like it’s off to a great start!

Broadstone Blake Street may not be the largest scale infill development, at 7-stories, but its impact is huge. Imagine the massing from 2101 Market (behind the site) placed over that empty hole. This is also helping tie Coors Field into the Downtown Denver urban fabric. There are only a few more lots to cover before it’s completely surrounded.

It may have taken a few years for this project commence, but it’s finally filling in that crucial gap in the Ballpark neighborhood. Broadstone Blake Street is expected to be finished by early 2014.

There is always something exciting about a new tower crane becoming part of the skyline. Over at Walnut and Park Avenue West, a new tower crane has been constructed.

The prefabricated parking garage has recently topped out and is nearly complete. Also, the foundation has been poured for the main building. Don’t worry, the garage has been set back so there won’t a 5-story blank wall facing part of the street.

This may not be a full update on 2300 Walnut, but a new tower crane is always worth a mention. This past weekend I also spotted a tower crane base at another development site. Can you guess where?