Wednesday, July 09, 2008
New Golden Triangle Project: Golden Row V2
The second phase of the Golden Row project, once planned to be a copy of the first phase, is going vertical instead. Now, 16 condominium units are proposed for the small lot next to the project's first phase on the 1100 block of Cherokee in Downtown Denver's Golden Triangle District.
Here's a rendering of the project, with credit to ArchitectureDenver:
The project should be complete Summer 2009.
Here's a rendering of the project, with credit to ArchitectureDenver:
The project should be complete Summer 2009.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Downtown Infill Rundown
It's time for a Summer 2008 Downtown construction photo update. Here we go:
Spire:
One Lincoln Park:
1515 Wynkoop:
Zi Lofts:
Denver Justice Center (Courthouse):
Denver Justice Center (Detention Facility):
SugarCube:
2101 Market:
Four Seasons:
1755 Blake:
1400 Wewatta:
1900 16th Street:
1800 Larimer:
More still to come!
Spire:
One Lincoln Park:
1515 Wynkoop:
Zi Lofts:
Denver Justice Center (Courthouse):
Denver Justice Center (Detention Facility):
SugarCube:
2101 Market:
Four Seasons:
1755 Blake:
1400 Wewatta:
1900 16th Street:
1800 Larimer:
More still to come!
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Keeping Cool in Lower Highland
Infill projects come in all shapes and sizes. Take, por ejemplo, the newest infill development in Lower Highland... Little Man Ice Cream. Joining the block that also includes Lola and Vita, Little Man Ice Cream is the brainchild of Paul Tamburello, who's done more than his share to help transform Highland into the sizzling-hot neighborhood that it has become.
Thursday night was the "topping off" of Little Man Ice Cream's new, um, "building" and its grand opening too. You see, Highland's newest infill project is a giant milk can. It's really pretty cool. Here's the scene Thursday night...
This:
needed to go on top of this:
It was a party-like atmosphere as a couple hundred neighbors gathered at the grid-transitioning intersection of Tejon, W. 30th Avenue, and 16th Street to watch the topping off and to enjoy free ice cream:
Finally, the 7,000-pound lid came to a gentle rest to complete the project:
Oh, in case you're wondering, a trap door in the roof of the can's base allowed the workers to escape after bolting the lid in place from the inside. Anyway, the whole process was somewhat reminiscent of this event from August 2006 that took place just a block away.
Paul named the shop in honor of his deceased father, whose nickname was "Little Man" due to his short stature. For more on Paul and his newest Highland venture, read this article from the Denver Post's Margaret Jackson from a few weeks ago. Welcome to the neighborhood, Little Man!
Thursday night was the "topping off" of Little Man Ice Cream's new, um, "building" and its grand opening too. You see, Highland's newest infill project is a giant milk can. It's really pretty cool. Here's the scene Thursday night...
This:
needed to go on top of this:
It was a party-like atmosphere as a couple hundred neighbors gathered at the grid-transitioning intersection of Tejon, W. 30th Avenue, and 16th Street to watch the topping off and to enjoy free ice cream:
Finally, the 7,000-pound lid came to a gentle rest to complete the project:
Oh, in case you're wondering, a trap door in the roof of the can's base allowed the workers to escape after bolting the lid in place from the inside. Anyway, the whole process was somewhat reminiscent of this event from August 2006 that took place just a block away.
Paul named the shop in honor of his deceased father, whose nickname was "Little Man" due to his short stature. For more on Paul and his newest Highland venture, read this article from the Denver Post's Margaret Jackson from a few weeks ago. Welcome to the neighborhood, Little Man!
Happy Independence Day!
I hope you're having a great holiday weekend. Here are a few photos from last night. Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Gart Buys Denver Pavilions
The Rocky Mountain News today reports that the Gart family and ING Clarion Partners have purchased the Denver Pavilions for $94.5 million. They plan about $25 million in upgrades including large video screens and escalators that extend to the edge of the 16th Street Mall. Here the full article by John Rebchook. Also, here's an artist's sketch of the new look (image courtesy of Communication Arts):
It's certainly good news that the Pavilions has been purchased by a local group and that they plan to invest quite a bit of money into the complex. But, if we really want to turn the Pavilions around into a thriving retail center, let's slap up a couple of 40-story towers with a ground-floor Macy's on those ugly parking lots behind the Pavilions. That'll do the trick. Seriously, with Makovsky working on something big for Block 162 and with Brookfield now in control of both of the lots behind the Pavilions, the long-term prospects for that area are exciting. Since one of the biggest barriers to development in Downtown is blocks with fractured ownership by dysfunctional families, having those three large development sites under the ownership of proven developers is a huge accomplishment.
It's certainly good news that the Pavilions has been purchased by a local group and that they plan to invest quite a bit of money into the complex. But, if we really want to turn the Pavilions around into a thriving retail center, let's slap up a couple of 40-story towers with a ground-floor Macy's on those ugly parking lots behind the Pavilions. That'll do the trick. Seriously, with Makovsky working on something big for Block 162 and with Brookfield now in control of both of the lots behind the Pavilions, the long-term prospects for that area are exciting. Since one of the biggest barriers to development in Downtown is blocks with fractured ownership by dysfunctional families, having those three large development sites under the ownership of proven developers is a huge accomplishment.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Original Steel Building Rendering
As a follow up to my blog of two days ago about the historic Steel/Fontius building, Dave Dyer sent me another image from the Steel Company's newsletter--this time of the September 3, 1921 issue, showing an artist's rendering of the "proposed" Steel Building. Thank you again, Dave. This is good stuff.
By the way, I have it on good authority that the correct pronunciation of "Fontius" is fon-shus, not fon-tee-us.
By the way, I have it on good authority that the correct pronunciation of "Fontius" is fon-shus, not fon-tee-us.
Monday, June 30, 2008
More on Bell Tower
In my post from earlier this morning about Speer Boulevard, I included a photo of a model of the proposed Bell Tower that I snagged from the Rocky Mountain News website. Thanks again to Matt and the rest of the folks at Fentress Architects, I'm happy to post not only a high-resolution version of that image, but also a nice high-resolution shot from a different angle.
Credit on both images to Jason Knowles, Fentress Architects.
These two photos are the best yet at clearly showing the design of this project. I like it a lot.
Credit on both images to Jason Knowles, Fentress Architects.
These two photos are the best yet at clearly showing the design of this project. I like it a lot.
Speer Boulevard's Future
In the past couple of days, the Rocky's Art & Architecture section has featured two articles about projects that will shape the future of Speer Boulevard through the heart of Downtown.
First is Mary Chandler's article on the proposed Bell Tower project. The article includes yet another view of the tower, this one even more clearly shows the articulation of the tower's facade. Here it is below (credit Jason Knowles/Fentress Architects):
The other article, by the Rocky's Mark Shulgold, is about the presentations that were recently made by the six finalist architecture firms competing for the chance to do the redesign of Boettcher concert hall. Of note in this article is the concept, presented by a couple of the firms, of the possibility that the new Boettcher could extend forward toward Speer as a new building rather than being rebuilt entirely within the footprint of the existing concert hall. Intriguing.
Both projects illuminate the opportunity we currently face in deciding what we want Speer Boulevard to become when it grows up. Named after our great City Beautiful-era mayor, Robert W. Speer, the boulevard itself is our city's grandest, with its special relationship to Cherry Creek, its enhanced streetscape, integrated pedestrian/bike path, and the various parks along its journey from Highland to the Cherry Creek district. Yet the building forms that line Speer Boulevard's 4.5 mile length is a total mixed bag. In Northwest Denver, the buildings are low-scale but sit right up against the Speer right-of-way. Through the Central Platte Valley and Downtown, the boulevard's wide setbacks give Speer a less intimate, more automobile-dominant feel. From Colfax south to Downing, a loose string of high-rises punctuate a low-rise fabric of historic street-edge commercial and suburban-like strip commercial with setbacks and surface parking.
Two of the seven Transformative Projects from the Downtown Area Plan (Grand Boulevards and Connecting Auraria) deal with Speer Boulevard. But what we really need to do is to create a vision for all of Speer Boulevard, and clearly define how Speer will serve in the future as the backbone of our urban core. I was recently in Atlanta, and that city's Peachtree Street functions much like Speer does in Denver, as it connects Downtown with Buckhead, their equivalent to our Cherry Creek district. Along the eight miles between the two, Peachtree Street has become the premier urban street in Atlanta, complete with their main cultural centers and museums, and dozens and dozens--hundreds perhaps--of residential, office, and hotel towers of varying height with vibrant ground-floor retail everywhere. It's an amazing corridor that could certainly serve as a model for what Speer Boulevard could become, if that's what we want. Either way, it's been almost a hundred years since Mayor Speer left us a remarkable, unique boulevard through the heart of our city. It's time we articulate a vision for Speer Boulevard that will allow it to live up to its full potential.
First is Mary Chandler's article on the proposed Bell Tower project. The article includes yet another view of the tower, this one even more clearly shows the articulation of the tower's facade. Here it is below (credit Jason Knowles/Fentress Architects):
The other article, by the Rocky's Mark Shulgold, is about the presentations that were recently made by the six finalist architecture firms competing for the chance to do the redesign of Boettcher concert hall. Of note in this article is the concept, presented by a couple of the firms, of the possibility that the new Boettcher could extend forward toward Speer as a new building rather than being rebuilt entirely within the footprint of the existing concert hall. Intriguing.
Both projects illuminate the opportunity we currently face in deciding what we want Speer Boulevard to become when it grows up. Named after our great City Beautiful-era mayor, Robert W. Speer, the boulevard itself is our city's grandest, with its special relationship to Cherry Creek, its enhanced streetscape, integrated pedestrian/bike path, and the various parks along its journey from Highland to the Cherry Creek district. Yet the building forms that line Speer Boulevard's 4.5 mile length is a total mixed bag. In Northwest Denver, the buildings are low-scale but sit right up against the Speer right-of-way. Through the Central Platte Valley and Downtown, the boulevard's wide setbacks give Speer a less intimate, more automobile-dominant feel. From Colfax south to Downing, a loose string of high-rises punctuate a low-rise fabric of historic street-edge commercial and suburban-like strip commercial with setbacks and surface parking.
Two of the seven Transformative Projects from the Downtown Area Plan (Grand Boulevards and Connecting Auraria) deal with Speer Boulevard. But what we really need to do is to create a vision for all of Speer Boulevard, and clearly define how Speer will serve in the future as the backbone of our urban core. I was recently in Atlanta, and that city's Peachtree Street functions much like Speer does in Denver, as it connects Downtown with Buckhead, their equivalent to our Cherry Creek district. Along the eight miles between the two, Peachtree Street has become the premier urban street in Atlanta, complete with their main cultural centers and museums, and dozens and dozens--hundreds perhaps--of residential, office, and hotel towers of varying height with vibrant ground-floor retail everywhere. It's an amazing corridor that could certainly serve as a model for what Speer Boulevard could become, if that's what we want. Either way, it's been almost a hundred years since Mayor Speer left us a remarkable, unique boulevard through the heart of our city. It's time we articulate a vision for Speer Boulevard that will allow it to live up to its full potential.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
16th & Welton Rare Photo
Anyone who's been following this blog or Downtown Denver news in general knows about Block 162, home of the building most people have come to know as the "Fontius" buildng. If you're not up on the subject, check out the links on the left under the "Fontius / Block 162" section or read Joel Warner's excellent "Evan Almighty" article in Westword.
As you probably know, the building at 16th and Welton currently being renovated by Evan "Urban Hero" Makovsky was completed in 1923 as the new home of Steel's department store. You've no doubt seen before this historic photo of the building's grand opening in 1923 (photo courtesy of the Denver Public Library's Western History Collection):
So what about the building that was at that corner before 1923? After an exhaustive search of the Library's online photo database, I was never able to find any photo that clearly showed what the corner of 16th and Welton looked like before 1923. Until now.
I recently received an email from a gentleman named Dave Dyer who is researching the history of the long-defunct Steel Company, as an ancestor of his worked for the company in Buffalo, NY back in the old days. Dave came across my blogs about the history of the Steel Building and Block 162 and thought I would appreciate what he has found.
Dave has discovered two year's worth of the L. R. Steel Company's internal newsletters. Here's the cover of the newsletter dated August 6, 1921:
Not only does the newsletter contain a photo of the building at the corner before the 1923 structure, but the text below the photo talks about the company's plans to build a new four-story structure at that location! To help us get a better view of the building, I cropped the image and tweaked the contrast a bit to get this:
If you look closely at the sign at the top of the building, it reads: "A 4 story building will be erected on this corner by the L. R. Steel Co. Inc."
What an awesome find! My thanks to Dave Dyer for sharing this with us.
As you probably know, the building at 16th and Welton currently being renovated by Evan "Urban Hero" Makovsky was completed in 1923 as the new home of Steel's department store. You've no doubt seen before this historic photo of the building's grand opening in 1923 (photo courtesy of the Denver Public Library's Western History Collection):
So what about the building that was at that corner before 1923? After an exhaustive search of the Library's online photo database, I was never able to find any photo that clearly showed what the corner of 16th and Welton looked like before 1923. Until now.
I recently received an email from a gentleman named Dave Dyer who is researching the history of the long-defunct Steel Company, as an ancestor of his worked for the company in Buffalo, NY back in the old days. Dave came across my blogs about the history of the Steel Building and Block 162 and thought I would appreciate what he has found.
Dave has discovered two year's worth of the L. R. Steel Company's internal newsletters. Here's the cover of the newsletter dated August 6, 1921:
Not only does the newsletter contain a photo of the building at the corner before the 1923 structure, but the text below the photo talks about the company's plans to build a new four-story structure at that location! To help us get a better view of the building, I cropped the image and tweaked the contrast a bit to get this:
If you look closely at the sign at the top of the building, it reads: "A 4 story building will be erected on this corner by the L. R. Steel Co. Inc."
What an awesome find! My thanks to Dave Dyer for sharing this with us.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
New Jefferson Park Project: PURE Townhomes
The northwest corner of Decatur and W. 27th Avenue may soon be home to a new infill project in the Jefferson Park district. Currently a vacant lot, a project called PURE Townhomes is planned for that corner. The project would include seven units ranging in size from 1,400 to 1,800 square feet and start in the $300,000s. Here's a rendering:
The image above is from the project website: www.puretownhomes.com, and is credited to Ray Byron Design Development. On the website you can download a PDF with floor plans and additional information.
The image above is from the project website: www.puretownhomes.com, and is credited to Ray Byron Design Development. On the website you can download a PDF with floor plans and additional information.
