DenverInfill Blog

About three weeks ago I blogged about the planned redo of the plaza areas in Writer Square, which was reported to include a glass pyramid and a moat, of all things. Today I’m happy to be able to post a few more renderings of the proposed design. These images are scans of a handout that was provided to Writer Square residents and business owners at a recent meeting with the developer. All images are copyright DHR Architecture / Blue Architects.

First, here’s the site plan:

In the initial phase, the corner at 16th and Lawrence will be a sunken plaza with a small water feature. Reportedly, the pyramid and underground commercial space for that corner would be a future phase only if the right high-profile retailer was found. The wall that runs along Larimer from the corner at 15th Street that separates the plaza from the sidewalk will be removed. I support that idea as it will improve pedestrian circulation, particularly when the city removes a drive lane from Larimer and consequently widens the sidewalk on the Writer Square side of the block next year. Also to be removed is the large triangular planter at the corner of 16th and Larimer, which should also improve pedestrian movement at that intersection.

The site plan also shows, however, that the pedestrian areas will be barren except for pedestrian lighting. The green trees shown on the site plan are on the landscaped upper level residential patios. There appear to be no trees planned for the public plazas themselves. Here are two images showing the proposed sunken plaza at 16th and Lawrence (left) and the plaza at 15th and Larimer (right):

I don’t know about you, but neither space seems particularly inviting. No seating, no flowers or trees, no public art, no shade. Really, who is going to want to sit on a folding chair and play the guitar in a sun-baked concrete plaza in the middle of the summer? In Downtown, we need more trees, more shady areas to provide shelter and refuse from the sun. What will be removed to make way for this sunken plaza? Mature trees. Also, these two images appear to show that the plaza surface will be–concrete squares? How interesting. Other improvements include updating the retail storefronts and signs, which seem appropriate to me.

Finally, here’s a night-time shot showing proposed new signage at 15th and Lawrence:

The project is supposed to begin later this spring and be finished before the end of the year, and will occur in five stages so that the whole site is not impacted at the same time.

Overall, I’m underwhelmed. I fully support the idea of making improvements to Writer Square in general. The existing plaza surfaces are in poor condition, and a general sprucing up of the pedestrian areas and storefronts is a welcome investment. But getting rid of all seating and landscaping seems unwise to me. Writer Square currently provides a pleasant place to sit and relax for a few minutes, set back a bit from the busy streets that surround it. Under the proposed plan, it looks like it will be not a place to dwell, but simply to pass through. Does that really make for a great public space?

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.