Back in my October 31, 2006 blog, I reported on the plans by Brookfield Properties, owners of the 56-story Republic Plaza building on Block 209, to purchase the two remaining buildings on the block at 1635 and 1645 Court Place and constuct a 1000-space parking garage in their place. The two historic structures that would be demolished are better known as the home of Duffy’s, the long-time Denver tavern and restaurant that occupied the ground floor. Since then, Brookfield has completed the purchase of the buildings and Duffy’s has closed its doors.
Historic Denver, Inc. and other downtown interests have had some preliminary discussions with Brookfield about finding an alternative to destroying these two historic structures that provide such exemplary pedestrian scale and historic context to a part of Downtown otherwise dominated by glassy modern high-rises. No final decisions have been made and there’s still time for further dialog on the matter, so Historic Denver is asking Denver citizens to contact Brookfield and let them know how you feel about the possible destruction of these two turn-of-the-century structures. Here’s the official notice from Historic Denver, which includes the contact info for Brookfield (PDF format): Historic Denver Preservation Alert
We should be able to find a win-win solution to this situation. Just a few ideas to consider might be:
— Incorporating the historic facades into the new structure (certainly not ideal, but perhaps better than their total destruction)
— Carefully deconstructing the buildings and rebuilding them elsewhere in Downtown (we did it with the Ghost Building at 18th and Stout)
— Allowing Brookfield to transfer their development rights to elsewhere in Downtown (such as their undeveloped parcel at 14th and Glenarm behind the Pavilions)
— Assisting Brookfield in securing a package of tax credits and other incentives that could be used at a different site in exchange for their seeking historic landmark status for the buildings
Personally, I believe destroying historic structures to build a parking garage in a downtown plagued by surface parking lots is unwise for a number of reasons. But I also believe we must respect the financial interests of property owners and businesses like Brookfield, and pro-actively encourage and facilitate their investment in Downtown Denver. That’s why we, as a community, must partner with Brookfield to find a solution that will work for everyone. Please let Brookfield, Historic Denver, the Downtown Denver Partnership, and the City know how you feel about this issue.
