The Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Building at 13th and Speer in Downtown Denver’s Golden Triangle district, owned by the GSA and home to several federal agencies, is undergoing a much-needed rehabilitation. DenverInfill recently had the chance to explore the construction site, thanks to David Tryba, Mark Sheldon, and Amy Fisk of Tryba Architects. Ryan will be posting construction photos of the project in a separate post, while here I’ll be sharing a few additional renderings and facts about the project.

In addition to the replacement of the 10-story office tower’s exterior with a new energy-efficient glass facade, the project also includes a major expansion and reconfiguration of the building’s lobby and day care center, mechanical and fire suppression systems, a new parking garage, and an expanded park/plaza along Speer Boulevard.

The original parking garage, located to the north across W. 13th Avenue from the office tower, had structural deficiencies, so a new parking structure is being built in its place. The new garage has about the same scale and capacity as the original, but includes improved vehicle circulation, safety, lighting, pedestrian access, and… a solar sculpture on the roof that will generate 5% of the site’s energy consumption. Here’s a rendering of the project, with the office building on the right and the new parking garage on the left:

Here’s a diagram showing more detail about the parking garage’s solar sculpture, which includes a 115,000 kW photo-voltaic system:

The office building’s lobby will be expanded to the west to enclose the building’s original outdoor arcade space, substantially improving the lobby’s spaciousness, circulation and aesthetics:

The building’s original front courtyard, along with the short stretch of Fox Street and the small triangle park owned by the city at the corner of Speer & 13th, will be reconfigured into a new integrated street/park/plaza that will feature a more pedestrian-friendly and realigned Fox Street, landscaping, public art, and a hardscaped plaza.