Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Gart Buys Denver Pavilions
The Rocky Mountain News today reports that the Gart family and ING Clarion Partners have purchased the Denver Pavilions for $94.5 million. They plan about $25 million in upgrades including large video screens and escalators that extend to the edge of the 16th Street Mall. Here the full article by John Rebchook. Also, here's an artist's sketch of the new look (image courtesy of Communication Arts):
It's certainly good news that the Pavilions has been purchased by a local group and that they plan to invest quite a bit of money into the complex. But, if we really want to turn the Pavilions around into a thriving retail center, let's slap up a couple of 40-story towers with a ground-floor Macy's on those ugly parking lots behind the Pavilions. That'll do the trick. Seriously, with Makovsky working on something big for Block 162 and with Brookfield now in control of both of the lots behind the Pavilions, the long-term prospects for that area are exciting. Since one of the biggest barriers to development in Downtown is blocks with fractured ownership by dysfunctional families, having those three large development sites under the ownership of proven developers is a huge accomplishment.
It's certainly good news that the Pavilions has been purchased by a local group and that they plan to invest quite a bit of money into the complex. But, if we really want to turn the Pavilions around into a thriving retail center, let's slap up a couple of 40-story towers with a ground-floor Macy's on those ugly parking lots behind the Pavilions. That'll do the trick. Seriously, with Makovsky working on something big for Block 162 and with Brookfield now in control of both of the lots behind the Pavilions, the long-term prospects for that area are exciting. Since one of the biggest barriers to development in Downtown is blocks with fractured ownership by dysfunctional families, having those three large development sites under the ownership of proven developers is a huge accomplishment.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Original Steel Building Rendering
As a follow up to my blog of two days ago about the historic Steel/Fontius building, Dave Dyer sent me another image from the Steel Company's newsletter--this time of the September 3, 1921 issue, showing an artist's rendering of the "proposed" Steel Building. Thank you again, Dave. This is good stuff.
By the way, I have it on good authority that the correct pronunciation of "Fontius" is fon-shus, not fon-tee-us.
By the way, I have it on good authority that the correct pronunciation of "Fontius" is fon-shus, not fon-tee-us.
Monday, June 30, 2008
More on Bell Tower
In my post from earlier this morning about Speer Boulevard, I included a photo of a model of the proposed Bell Tower that I snagged from the Rocky Mountain News website. Thanks again to Matt and the rest of the folks at Fentress Architects, I'm happy to post not only a high-resolution version of that image, but also a nice high-resolution shot from a different angle.
Credit on both images to Jason Knowles, Fentress Architects.
These two photos are the best yet at clearly showing the design of this project. I like it a lot.
Credit on both images to Jason Knowles, Fentress Architects.
These two photos are the best yet at clearly showing the design of this project. I like it a lot.
Speer Boulevard's Future
In the past couple of days, the Rocky's Art & Architecture section has featured two articles about projects that will shape the future of Speer Boulevard through the heart of Downtown.
First is Mary Chandler's article on the proposed Bell Tower project. The article includes yet another view of the tower, this one even more clearly shows the articulation of the tower's facade. Here it is below (credit Jason Knowles/Fentress Architects):
The other article, by the Rocky's Mark Shulgold, is about the presentations that were recently made by the six finalist architecture firms competing for the chance to do the redesign of Boettcher concert hall. Of note in this article is the concept, presented by a couple of the firms, of the possibility that the new Boettcher could extend forward toward Speer as a new building rather than being rebuilt entirely within the footprint of the existing concert hall. Intriguing.
Both projects illuminate the opportunity we currently face in deciding what we want Speer Boulevard to become when it grows up. Named after our great City Beautiful-era mayor, Robert W. Speer, the boulevard itself is our city's grandest, with its special relationship to Cherry Creek, its enhanced streetscape, integrated pedestrian/bike path, and the various parks along its journey from Highland to the Cherry Creek district. Yet the building forms that line Speer Boulevard's 4.5 mile length is a total mixed bag. In Northwest Denver, the buildings are low-scale but sit right up against the Speer right-of-way. Through the Central Platte Valley and Downtown, the boulevard's wide setbacks give Speer a less intimate, more automobile-dominant feel. From Colfax south to Downing, a loose string of high-rises punctuate a low-rise fabric of historic street-edge commercial and suburban-like strip commercial with setbacks and surface parking.
Two of the seven Transformative Projects from the Downtown Area Plan (Grand Boulevards and Connecting Auraria) deal with Speer Boulevard. But what we really need to do is to create a vision for all of Speer Boulevard, and clearly define how Speer will serve in the future as the backbone of our urban core. I was recently in Atlanta, and that city's Peachtree Street functions much like Speer does in Denver, as it connects Downtown with Buckhead, their equivalent to our Cherry Creek district. Along the eight miles between the two, Peachtree Street has become the premier urban street in Atlanta, complete with their main cultural centers and museums, and dozens and dozens--hundreds perhaps--of residential, office, and hotel towers of varying height with vibrant ground-floor retail everywhere. It's an amazing corridor that could certainly serve as a model for what Speer Boulevard could become, if that's what we want. Either way, it's been almost a hundred years since Mayor Speer left us a remarkable, unique boulevard through the heart of our city. It's time we articulate a vision for Speer Boulevard that will allow it to live up to its full potential.
First is Mary Chandler's article on the proposed Bell Tower project. The article includes yet another view of the tower, this one even more clearly shows the articulation of the tower's facade. Here it is below (credit Jason Knowles/Fentress Architects):
The other article, by the Rocky's Mark Shulgold, is about the presentations that were recently made by the six finalist architecture firms competing for the chance to do the redesign of Boettcher concert hall. Of note in this article is the concept, presented by a couple of the firms, of the possibility that the new Boettcher could extend forward toward Speer as a new building rather than being rebuilt entirely within the footprint of the existing concert hall. Intriguing.
Both projects illuminate the opportunity we currently face in deciding what we want Speer Boulevard to become when it grows up. Named after our great City Beautiful-era mayor, Robert W. Speer, the boulevard itself is our city's grandest, with its special relationship to Cherry Creek, its enhanced streetscape, integrated pedestrian/bike path, and the various parks along its journey from Highland to the Cherry Creek district. Yet the building forms that line Speer Boulevard's 4.5 mile length is a total mixed bag. In Northwest Denver, the buildings are low-scale but sit right up against the Speer right-of-way. Through the Central Platte Valley and Downtown, the boulevard's wide setbacks give Speer a less intimate, more automobile-dominant feel. From Colfax south to Downing, a loose string of high-rises punctuate a low-rise fabric of historic street-edge commercial and suburban-like strip commercial with setbacks and surface parking.
Two of the seven Transformative Projects from the Downtown Area Plan (Grand Boulevards and Connecting Auraria) deal with Speer Boulevard. But what we really need to do is to create a vision for all of Speer Boulevard, and clearly define how Speer will serve in the future as the backbone of our urban core. I was recently in Atlanta, and that city's Peachtree Street functions much like Speer does in Denver, as it connects Downtown with Buckhead, their equivalent to our Cherry Creek district. Along the eight miles between the two, Peachtree Street has become the premier urban street in Atlanta, complete with their main cultural centers and museums, and dozens and dozens--hundreds perhaps--of residential, office, and hotel towers of varying height with vibrant ground-floor retail everywhere. It's an amazing corridor that could certainly serve as a model for what Speer Boulevard could become, if that's what we want. Either way, it's been almost a hundred years since Mayor Speer left us a remarkable, unique boulevard through the heart of our city. It's time we articulate a vision for Speer Boulevard that will allow it to live up to its full potential.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
16th & Welton Rare Photo
Anyone who's been following this blog or Downtown Denver news in general knows about Block 162, home of the building most people have come to know as the "Fontius" buildng. If you're not up on the subject, check out the links on the left under the "Fontius / Block 162" section or read Joel Warner's excellent "Evan Almighty" article in Westword.
As you probably know, the building at 16th and Welton currently being renovated by Evan "Urban Hero" Makovsky was completed in 1923 as the new home of Steel's department store. You've no doubt seen before this historic photo of the building's grand opening in 1923 (photo courtesy of the Denver Public Library's Western History Collection):
So what about the building that was at that corner before 1923? After an exhaustive search of the Library's online photo database, I was never able to find any photo that clearly showed what the corner of 16th and Welton looked like before 1923. Until now.
I recently received an email from a gentleman named Dave Dyer who is researching the history of the long-defunct Steel Company, as an ancestor of his worked for the company in Buffalo, NY back in the old days. Dave came across my blogs about the history of the Steel Building and Block 162 and thought I would appreciate what he has found.
Dave has discovered two year's worth of the L. R. Steel Company's internal newsletters. Here's the cover of the newsletter dated August 6, 1921:
Not only does the newsletter contain a photo of the building at the corner before the 1923 structure, but the text below the photo talks about the company's plans to build a new four-story structure at that location! To help us get a better view of the building, I cropped the image and tweaked the contrast a bit to get this:
If you look closely at the sign at the top of the building, it reads: "A 4 story building will be erected on this corner by the L. R. Steel Co. Inc."
What an awesome find! My thanks to Dave Dyer for sharing this with us.
As you probably know, the building at 16th and Welton currently being renovated by Evan "Urban Hero" Makovsky was completed in 1923 as the new home of Steel's department store. You've no doubt seen before this historic photo of the building's grand opening in 1923 (photo courtesy of the Denver Public Library's Western History Collection):
So what about the building that was at that corner before 1923? After an exhaustive search of the Library's online photo database, I was never able to find any photo that clearly showed what the corner of 16th and Welton looked like before 1923. Until now.
I recently received an email from a gentleman named Dave Dyer who is researching the history of the long-defunct Steel Company, as an ancestor of his worked for the company in Buffalo, NY back in the old days. Dave came across my blogs about the history of the Steel Building and Block 162 and thought I would appreciate what he has found.
Dave has discovered two year's worth of the L. R. Steel Company's internal newsletters. Here's the cover of the newsletter dated August 6, 1921:
Not only does the newsletter contain a photo of the building at the corner before the 1923 structure, but the text below the photo talks about the company's plans to build a new four-story structure at that location! To help us get a better view of the building, I cropped the image and tweaked the contrast a bit to get this:
If you look closely at the sign at the top of the building, it reads: "A 4 story building will be erected on this corner by the L. R. Steel Co. Inc."
What an awesome find! My thanks to Dave Dyer for sharing this with us.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
New Jefferson Park Project: PURE Townhomes
The northwest corner of Decatur and W. 27th Avenue may soon be home to a new infill project in the Jefferson Park district. Currently a vacant lot, a project called PURE Townhomes is planned for that corner. The project would include seven units ranging in size from 1,400 to 1,800 square feet and start in the $300,000s. Here's a rendering:
The image above is from the project website: www.puretownhomes.com, and is credited to Ray Byron Design Development. On the website you can download a PDF with floor plans and additional information.
The image above is from the project website: www.puretownhomes.com, and is credited to Ray Byron Design Development. On the website you can download a PDF with floor plans and additional information.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Bell Tower: The Renderings
As promised in Friday's blog about the proposed Bell Tower, I am happy to share with you high-resolution versions of the Bell Tower renderings. Of course, my appreciation to Matt and everyone else at Fentress Architects for providing me these images.
One minor correction to the information reported on Friday: the building will feature a lobby on the ground floor and 33 residential floors above for a total of 34 stories. There will be a total of 35 residential units.
One minor correction to the information reported on Friday: the building will feature a lobby on the ground floor and 33 residential floors above for a total of 34 stories. There will be a total of 35 residential units.
So, without further ado, here they are:
Yes, that's 1401 Lawrence rendered in the background. Even though that project was cancelled just a few days ago, I'm glad the building is still shown as it is likely it will come back in some form some day. Four Seasons and Two Tabor appear in the background too.
Auraria Hotel Project Approved
The proposed hotel located on the Auraria campus has taken another step forward with the Metropolitan State College's Board of Trustees approving the project at their June 4 meeting. Next in the process is the college issuing a Request for Proposals to the development community for developers to respond with a specific hotel design and secured financing. For more information about the project, here's an article by Dominic Graziano of The Met Online, the college's online newspaper.
In a nutshell, the hotel would be 12 stories and about 100,000 SF in size and would be located somewhere on the existing parking lot that faces Speer Boulevard between Auraria Parkway and Larimer (see the aerial photo on the Auraria district page). That site is across Speer from Mr. Geller's proposed 33-story "Bell Tower" on Block 242/044.
These projects are important in our goal of transforming Speer Boulevard from a wide open automobile-dominated thoroughfare into an urban, pedestrian-friendly boulevard framed by a strong street wall of buildings and lined with a great mix of uses and public spaces worthy of our signature urban parkway.
In a nutshell, the hotel would be 12 stories and about 100,000 SF in size and would be located somewhere on the existing parking lot that faces Speer Boulevard between Auraria Parkway and Larimer (see the aerial photo on the Auraria district page). That site is across Speer from Mr. Geller's proposed 33-story "Bell Tower" on Block 242/044.
These projects are important in our goal of transforming Speer Boulevard from a wide open automobile-dominated thoroughfare into an urban, pedestrian-friendly boulevard framed by a strong street wall of buildings and lined with a great mix of uses and public spaces worthy of our signature urban parkway.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Embassy Suites Construction Almost Underway
The long-planned Embassy Suites project slated for the corner of 14th and Stout on Block 138 is finally ready to start construction. As you probably know, the old Motor Hotel Garage on that site was demolished, slowly, in 2007. For the past several months, a bit of remaining rubble and a few miscellaneous pieces of equipment have been the only things inside the fenced-off site.
Now, the foundation of the old parking garage is being removed. Here's a photo, courtesy of my friend, Grant:
According to a representative of WPM, the developer, who was at the project site when Grant took this photo, the Embassy Suites project will be 17 stories tall and have 400 rooms, include ground-floor retail and a restaurant, and three levels of underground parking. The developer reportedly pulled their foundation permit with the city last week, and once the excavation of the old parking garage's foundation is complete and the rubble removed, construction on the new hotel will begin.
I still have to figure out if the rendering I show for the project is the most recent or not, but it does appear that we'll have yet another major construction project underway quite soon in Downtown Denver!
Now, the foundation of the old parking garage is being removed. Here's a photo, courtesy of my friend, Grant:
According to a representative of WPM, the developer, who was at the project site when Grant took this photo, the Embassy Suites project will be 17 stories tall and have 400 rooms, include ground-floor retail and a restaurant, and three levels of underground parking. The developer reportedly pulled their foundation permit with the city last week, and once the excavation of the old parking garage's foundation is complete and the rubble removed, construction on the new hotel will begin.
I still have to figure out if the rendering I show for the project is the most recent or not, but it does appear that we'll have yet another major construction project underway quite soon in Downtown Denver!
Bell Tower Design Revealed
Developer Buzz Geller yesterday revealed the preliminary design of his proposed "Bell Tower" located at Market and Speer on Block 242/044 in Lower Downtown Denver. Geller always said he wanted the tower to be architecturally significant. Thanks to Fentress Architects, the proposed design is definitely intriguing, that's for sure. Here's a lower-resolution image:
John Rebchook at the Rocky Mountain News this morning reports more on the proposed 33-story tower, and also has additional renderings of the project. Click here for the article. I hope to be able to post high-res versions of the renderings soon. All images are courtesy of Fentress Architects.
The project also includes a much shorter office building across Cherry Creek from the tower, at the corner of 14th and Market. The office building has a more traditional design:
The project must still be given final approval through the Lower Downtown Design Review Board, which reviewed the project yesterday. You may recall that Geller obtained the right to build a tower up to 375 feet tall at the Speer/Market site due to the creation of a Special Review District under the LoDo design guidelines.
With prices for the Bell Tower's condo units at or higher than those of the Four Seasons, who knows if there is the demand out there. But with only 33 units total, Geller has far fewer units than the recently-cancelled 1401 Lawrence project. Either way, Bell Tower would certainly have a dramatic impact on Denver's skyline!
John Rebchook at the Rocky Mountain News this morning reports more on the proposed 33-story tower, and also has additional renderings of the project. Click here for the article. I hope to be able to post high-res versions of the renderings soon. All images are courtesy of Fentress Architects.
The project also includes a much shorter office building across Cherry Creek from the tower, at the corner of 14th and Market. The office building has a more traditional design:
The project must still be given final approval through the Lower Downtown Design Review Board, which reviewed the project yesterday. You may recall that Geller obtained the right to build a tower up to 375 feet tall at the Speer/Market site due to the creation of a Special Review District under the LoDo design guidelines.
With prices for the Bell Tower's condo units at or higher than those of the Four Seasons, who knows if there is the demand out there. But with only 33 units total, Geller has far fewer units than the recently-cancelled 1401 Lawrence project. Either way, Bell Tower would certainly have a dramatic impact on Denver's skyline!
