In the new edition of the Denver Business Journal released today, Paula Moore reports that change may be coming to Block 162 in Downtown Denver, the block where the dilapidated Fontius Building is located.
A deed recently filed with the city indicates that ownership of the Fontius property has shifted within the Cook family and is now consolidated under Gary Cook’s control. Paula notes that this could potentially be a sign that Gary Cook is preparing to sell the property to another party, such as developer Evan Makovsky, who has gone on record as being interested in doing a project on Block 162 in the future.
The Revitalizing the Core task force, the City, the Downtown Denver Partnership, and others, including DenverInfill.com and many of you who read this blog regularly, have been pushing for improvements in the core area of Downtown, with the Fontius and Block 162 at or near the top of the list. Perhaps this news is an indication that all our efforts may be finally paying off.
But that’s not all! The Denver Business Journal article also reports that the Office Depot building at 16th and Market (which is owned by a different branch of the Cook family than Gary Cook’s), may be in the process of being sold and could potentially be redeveloped as a hotel. I love having an Office Depot in the heart of Downtown. If you work or live Downtown like me, you know it’s very convenient for quickly picking up an office gadget or two. But the Office Depot building represents such a significant underutilization of a highly visible corner on the Mall, it’s not even funny. Plus, the building’s brown, windowless, concrete wall that stretches almost to 15th Street is one of the worst pedestrian dead zones in Downtown. A redevelopment of that site would be a tremendous boost to Downtown’s overall vitality. Maybe Office Depot could find a new home on the ground floor of some future Downtown office or condo tower.
Hopefully, there will be official confirmation of either or both of these developments in the near future. I’ll certainly let you know if or when there is.
