Today we have a big update on 1480 Wewatta, a cool infill project planned for the corner of 15th and Wewatta in the heart of the Lower Downtown/Union Station area. Our first post on 1480 Wewatta was back in August 2016 when the development was known as 1750 15th Street and was about to be reviewed by the Lower Downtown Design Review Board (LDDRB) for the first time. Since then, this 12-story, 89-unit residential project by Nichols Partnership has successfully worked its way through the LDDRB process, receiving its approvals for mass and scale this past April and for design details and streetscape earlier this month.
1480 Wewatta will be operated as serviced apartments (sometimes called an “aparthotel”) where a resident can choose an extended-stay option and live there for months on end, or stay for just a few days as a guest. Either way, all units will be fully furnished, complete with full kitchens, and residents will receive housekeeping and concierge services like at a regular hotel.
The ground floor will feature the building’s main entry, lobby and management office, and a lounge/coffee area open to the public. Floors 2 through 8 will hold smaller units (around 350-400 square feet) and Floors 9 through 12 will hold slightly larger units (around 500 square feet). Floor 9 will also feature an indoor/outdoor amenity space facing 15th Street for residents, plus outdoor terraces for the units facing Wewatta Street.
Here are the latest renderings, courtesy of Nichols Partnership and the design team at Shears Adkins Rockmore, the project architect. In the first image below, we have a bird’s-eye perspective from across Wewatta, giving us a nice view of the project’s enhanced streetscape along Wewatta and the outdoor terraces on the ninth floor. The second image provides a pedestrian’s perspective from across the intersection, showing the highly transparent ground floor and traditional LoDo-style brick masonry facade up through the eighth floor, and a more contemporary-style metal panel facade on the top four floors.
The first image above is actually a cropped version of the full rendering provided below, where we can see 1480 Wewatta within its greater LoDo/Downtown context:
There will be no automobile parking on site, but some parking for residents will be provided at a location nearby. Most importantly, 1480 Wewatta will eradicate the surface parking lot currently on the site, repair the urban fabric at this corner by completing the street wall along both 15th and Wewatta, and greatly enhance the pedestrian environment in one of Denver’s most walkable and transit-accessible areas.
If all goes as planned, groundbreaking will take place next summer with completion expected in about 15 months.
I think this is a great idea for the city – especially for all the incoming residents who are trying to relocate to Denver for new jobs and opportunities. Something in the city that is already furnished with flexible lease rates – and close to transport. The demand is certainly there; I bet these rooms rent out quickly. Plus, they take up an unusable lot in the process with minimal parking requirements. I would love to see this type of project replicated a few more times around the city core as they “borrow” parking from other structures.
I didn’t have very high hopes for this tiny parcel so I’m beyond impressed with this project. So great that they’ll be able to make a much better use of the space than the two measly rows of parking it currently hosts. Our city has had tons of room to grow for decades, but as space becomes more scarce, I think we’ll start to see more of these unique projects, at least I hope!
I couldn’t agree more. As more and more of the full-block lots are developed, we will see these ‘slot’ infill projects become more viable.
This is the level of infill that really creates a dynamic urban fabric.
I hope and (believe) that we will be seeing more projects of this scale.
Also kudos for the non-car-centric planning. Architecture is clean and beautiful as well.
They seem to be bricking up the windows and patios of the adjacent copper building.
Not really. The lower portion is a parking structure. The upper portion is set back.
https://denverinfill.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2016-08-26_1750-15th-streetview-1.jpg
The city needs to rethink this intersection. If you’re a pedestrian, crossing Wewatta, especially on the northeastern side (opposite this project), it’s too wide and does not feel safe. If you’re driving on Wewatta, particularly if you’re coming around the curve between the Gates Rubber HQ and the Triangle Building, the lanes don’t properly match up to the lanes on the other side of 15th.
Also needs better traffic control (turn lights would help). Traffic from Wewatta turning both North and South onto 15th is a real mess, particularly with a high number of pedestrians.