The project to renovate the 1960s-era office building at 930 15th Street continues making good progress. In mid-March we posted photos showing that the first sections of the existing building facade were being removed. The project entails the removal of the building’s dated exterior and a reskinning of the structure with a modern glass curtain wall, along with a complete remodel of the interior, all new building systems, and new ground-floor commercial uses. With the renovation also comes a rebranding of the building as The Link.

Project construction has reached a milestone: the building’s original facade is now entirely gone, revealing the superstructure. We don’t get to see an old building in this “naked” condition very often, so let’s take a look before the new glass skin starts going up.

Here’s a close-up of the Curtis Street side followed by the 15th Street side:

Our final photo shows the building’s position between two of Downtown Denver’s most notable historic buildings. Adjacent on Curtis (right) is the 1929 Mountain States Telephone Building, featuring a buff-colored terra cotta facade that mixes Art Deco and Gothic Revival styles in a variant known as Modern American Perpendicular Gothic. Across the alley on 15th Street (left) is the 1910 Denver Gas and Electric Building, with a white terra cotta facade that incorporates 13,000 electric lights in a Chicago Commercial (Sullivanesque) style. Both of The Link’s historic neighbors are part of the Downtown Denver Historic District.

The Link’s contemporary blue glass facade, designed by Gensler, will create a striking contrast to the neutral-tone facades of its historic neighbors, allowing both of those landmark buildings to be more visually prominent than before. The new ground-floor uses and streetscape will also enliven the corner for pedestrians.

We will revisit the project soon when the new glass facade installation gets underway.