On DenverInfill, we have been covering the fate of Bell Tower and the two surface parking lots for 14 years. Yesterday, another rendition of the 375-foot tower went before the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission.

While there are two developable surface parking lots on the edge of Lower Downtown, the current submission calls for the development of one lot at 1300 Walnut. Below is an aerial we took for the 2019 rendition of the project showing the two surface lots. The surface parking lot closest to Speer Boulevard is what is planning to get developed at this time.

The project design has significantly changed over the years. Since the tower has come back, each rendition has been declined by the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission for various reasons; mostly relating to how it visually connects Lower Downtown to Auraria, and reflecting the historical context of Lower Downtown. The application submitted shows a comparison between the previous design and the present-day design.

At the conclusion of the meeting yesterday, the commission approved the application for mass, form, and context of the building. There was a lot of discussion about some design issues, however those will be address in the next round which focuses on the design details.

As you have probably already flipped through the application linked above, we do have new renderings pulled from the same document below. The architect on record is GDA Architects. A YouTube video was also submitted showing the design of the tower.

It’s exciting to see this project make its rounds through design review again. We will eagerly be keeping an eye out for the next round of design review for Bell Tower.

Project Description Developer Architect Contractor
36 Stories | 139 apt homes | 197 (v) parking
Kairoi Residential
GDA Architects
TBD