Downtown Denver Archives - Denver Urban Review

Construction Updates

Justin March 1, 2016 at 12:09 am 9

It is a new month which means it is time to take a look at the progress of the construction projects taking shape in Denver. The first project on our tour is the construction site of the Country Club Towers. This project is located just to the southwest of the intersection of Speer Boulevard and Downing Street. Two 31-story residential towers will stand and house a total of 551 apartment units. The Country Club Towers broke ground in June of 2015. The Broe Group is the developer. The first photo was captured on the east side of the project at Downing Street and the other two photos were snapped on the west side of the project at Ogden Street.

Heading north we see the Speer Boulevard Apartments located at 6th Avenue, Grant Street and Speer Boulevard. This project is being developed by Gables Residential.

Just a block to the north is the construction site of 7|S Denver Haus at 7th Avenue and Sherman Street. This development was designed by Denver-based Crane Architecture. 7|S Denver Haus will hold 115 apartments.

At 6th Avenue and Broadway is the future site of Denver Health’s Support Services Building. This project broke ground in October and will reach 9 floors. It was designed by Denver-based Davis Partnership Architects. The building will also have space for ground floor retail where a BBQ restaurant is slated to open that will be owned by Justin Timberlake. The crane for the project was staged on Acoma as workers prepared to install it.

As seen from the Broadway side of the project:

In Denver’s Golden Triangle is the construction site of the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Contemporary Art. This construction site is located at 12th Avenue and Bannock Street. The Kirkland Museum currently resides in Capitol Hill and will move to the new Golden Triangle location once complete. Shaw Construction is the general contractor.

Just a block away at 13th and Cherokee is the construction site of the Eviva Cherokee apartment project. The Beck Group provided architectural services on this development and is also serving as the general contractor. Once finished Eviva Cherokee will rise to 19 floors. Atlanta-based Integral Group is the developer.

Walking north into downtown Denver at 15th and California we find the dual-brand hotel project that is being developed by White Lodging. This site will become an AC Hotel by Marriott and a Starwood-branded Le Meridien Hotel and will rise to 20 floors once complete. Construction began in September. This project is under construction one block from the Colorado Convention Center. White Lodging also developed the dual-brand Hyatt House/Hyatt Place hotel located on 14th Street that opened in November.

Heading down 15th Street is the site of 1144 Fifteenth Street, a 40-story skyscraper under construction in downtown Denver at 15th Street and Arapahoe. This building will feature 640,000 square feet of office space. Pickard Chilton the architecture firm that designed 1144 Fifteenth Street. 1144 Fifteenth Street as seen from 15th Street and Arapahoe with 1401 Lawrence making a cameo behind it:

Just a stone’s throw away is the site of the 22-story 1401 Lawrence project. The building has now reached its top floor. This is another Denver project where The Beck Group designed the building and is also serving as the general contractor. Since 1401 Lawrence has reached its full height, here are several photos of this addition to downtown Denver.

Over in Riverfront Park The Confluence is taking shape at 15th Street and Little Raven. The 288-unit building will feature studio, one, two, and three bedroom apartments. The Confluence will reach 34 floors once finished.

Next is a look at the construction site of the 12-story Kimpton Hotel. This project will also include a 5-story office component as well. The hotel will house 200 rooms and space for ground floor retail/restaurants will also be constructed. This development is taking shape adjacent to the Denver Union Station train platform.

Also under construction in the Union Station neighborhood is the mixed-use Union Tower West development at 18th and Wewatta. Union Tower West will rise to 12 floors and will feature a 180-room Hotel Indigo along with 100,000 square feet of leasable office space. Atlanta-based Portman-holdings is the developer.

Pivot Denver is taking shape at 18th and Wewatta. Pivot Denver is set to feature a Whole Foods grocery store. Pivot Denver will include 580 apartment units and will top off at 13 floors. Holland Partner Group is the developer and Davis Partnership Architects designed the structure.

Along with Pivot Denver in the middle of the below photo, the lot in the foreground is the future site of 1709 Chestnut, a development that will feature a 24-story building and a 12-story building. Between these two structures 500 apartment units and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space will be constructed. Site prep work is underway on the 1709 Chestnut site.

On the same block as Union Tower West is the construction site of the Ashley Union Station affordable housing project as captured in the below photo.

In Denver’s LoDo neighborhood is the mixed-use Dairy Block development at the block of 18th, 19th, Wazee and Blake Streets. This development will feature leasable office space and a hotel that will be managed by Sage Hospitality. Earlier this year it was announced that Prologis will become the signature tenant of the office portion of the development.

Next is 1776 Curtis, a residential high-rise that will reach 29 floors, with the 29th floor serving as a mechanical penthouse. A total of 359 apartment units will be offered in studio, one, and two bedroom options. The 28th floor will feature penthouse units. The development will also include 999 17th Street, a 9-story office building that will be located at the 17th Street side of the block.

In Denver’s Uptown neighborhood at 20th and Logan Street is the Alexan Uptown apartment project. Alexan Uptown will top out at 12 floors and will be home to 372 apartment units.

Also in Uptown at 17th and Pennsylvania is the site of what will become the future home of the Colorado Health Foundation .

Work is now underway, and making its first appearance on the Denver construction update is 5280 Senior Housing, a six-story building that will house 99 residential units. construction on 5280 Senior Housing began the first week of February. This development is located at 1615 Pennsylvania Street in the Uptown neighborhood of Denver.

The last project on the update is SkyHouse Denver. This apartment project has been rising at 18th and Broadway. SkyHouse Denver will feature 354 apartment units and 6,900 square feet of space for ground floor retail.

That concludes this look at the construction projects taking shape in and around downtown Denver. have a great week and thanks for stopping by, Justin

Construction Downtown Denver

Project Announcements

Block 162 announced

Justin January 24, 2016 at 11:03 pm 2

Rendering depicts future Block 162 office tower in the middle of the frame and the planned hotel portion of the development on the left side of the frame. Image courtesy Patrinely Group.

After much anticipation and after years of rumors, Texas-based Patrinely Group has announced plans to move forward with Block 162, a 32-story office tower. Block 162 will take shape in downtown Denver on the block of 15th Street, 16th Street, Welton and California. The project also includes plans for a hotel tower to be constructed on the block as well. Block 162 is directly across the street from the 1,100-room Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center Hotel. The Colorado Convention Center is located one block to the southwest of Block 162. An RTD light rail station is located at the Colorado Convention Center as well as one adjacent to this property at 16th and California. "We are very excited to have found a great site on light rail and adjacent to the 16th Street Mall to develop a contemporary, highly efficient office building, " said Robert Fields, President & CEO of Patrinely Group.

Rendering depicts the location of Block 162 in downtown Denver. Image courtesy Patrinely Group.

The office tower is planned to feature 21 floors of leasable office space adding up to a total of 606,500 square feet. Three below-grade levels of parking and 13 above-grade levels will be incorporated into the building. The ratio of parking is two spaces for every 1,000 square feet of office space.

The 12th floor of the building will house a tenant only amenity level that will feature meeting rooms, a fitness center, and outdoor space.

Image courtesy Patrinely Group.

Denver-based NAI Shames Makovsky owns the entire block and has been working on plans to develop the property since the firm began acquiring real estate on the block in 2005.

The architect that designed Block 162 is Gensler.

Denver Urban Review asked a spokesperson with the Patrinely Group if a ground breaking date and construction timeline had been set for this Denver project. The spokesperson said specifics on when construction would begin are not yet established. The Patrinely Group did not have additional details to share in regards to the hotel portion of the development at Block 162.

The Denver office of Cushman and Wakefield is managing the leasing of the office tower.

The Block 162 office tower will join other large downtown Denver high-rise office projects that are currently under construction. The 40-story 1144 Fifteenth Street project that is being developed by Hines at 15th Street and Arapahoe will feature 640,000 square-feet of office space and is slated to be completed in two years. The 22-story 1401 Lawrence developmnt is expected to reach its top floor in February and it will house 306,000 square-feet of office space.

Block 162 as seen from California Street.

Downtown Denver

Construction Updates

Inside look at Denver’s dual-brand Hyatt

Justin October 7, 2015 at 12:57 am 0

The 21-story dual-brand Hyatt House/Hyatt Place hotel in downtown Denver is set to open on November 19th. This hotel project has been taking shape at 14th Street and Glenarm Place, which is located just a block away from the Colorado Convention Center. Denver Urban Review was provided a tour of the property for an inside look at downtown's newest hotel. Denver's Hyatt House/Hyatt Place is still a very active construction site. Workers are installing the final finishes to the first floor exterior. On the inside of the building drywall, painting, carpet installation and the placement of furniture and artwork is underway.

Indiana-based White Lodging developed this hotel which contains 361 rooms between both brands. Each of the hotels has rooms on every floor where one side of the building houses the Hyatt House rooms and the other side houses the Hyatt Place rooms. There is no dedicated partition or barrier between the two brands, so guests are not relegated to staying on one half of the building. One of the signature ways to distinguish the brands is by the different carpet patterns. PFVS Architects is the firm that designed this structure. The Hyatt Place provides 248 rooms and Hyatt House offers 113 rooms. An interesting tidbit on this hotel is that there is no button for the 13th floor. The building has 21 floors but the elevator buttons go up to floor 22 to accommodate no button representing the 13th floor.

Hyatt Place room.

Hyatt House Room

When asked what the greatest challenge on the construction of this project has been, assistant project manager Ryan Hunsley provided his insight. "The Denver market is so saturated with construction projects right now that there is a big labor shortage. All throughout the construction industry around here it has been hard to get help. Much of the time we rely on temporary construction labor services to help supplement. That has been the hardest part is actually getting people on the job here." Senior Sales Manager Samantha Fletcher of Hyatt House/Hyatt Place explains the difference between the two brands. "The Hyatt House side is more of your extended stay property, so it is for people looking for a long term visit. It is going to have a kitchen with the full-sized appliances. Hyatt Place is more of your transient travel and weekend travelers with a seamless transition between the work play experience," stated Fletcher. Both hotels will share a workout facility and swimming pool. Each brand will have it's own breakfast areas on the first floor and independent check-in desks. Like the rest of the hotel, guests of each brand can move about the first floor with no barriers in between. Beetle kill pinewood paneling is being installed in the first floor lobby. White Lodging recently broke ground in September on another hotel project in downtown Denver. This new project will be a 20-story dual-brand AC Hotel by Marriott and a Starwood-branded Le Meridien Hotel. This hotel will have a total of 491 rooms and is slated to open in 2017. Below are a couple of photos from a room on the top floor of Hyatt House/Hyatt Place. The first photo looks down 14th Street towards the northwest. The second photo looks towards the northeast where many of Denver's iconic skyscrapers can be seen.

Downtown Denver

City Improvements

Proposed Colorado Convention Center improvements

Justin September 24, 2015 at 12:23 am 1

This November Denver voters can vote to approve a $700 million initiative that will fund an expansion of the Colorado Convention Center located in downtown Denver. A portion of the $700 million will also finance upgrades and new facilities at the National Western Center which serves as the home of the National Western Stock Show. This will appear on the ballot as Referred Question 2C. Denver has hired MIG and Fentress Architects, the original architects of the Center and expansion, who are now working on a master plan for the Colorado Convention Center and who have produced preliminary renderings of the expansion.

Denver Skyline with expanded convention center

Rendering courtesy Visit Denver.

Funding would come by extending current taxes that are set to expire in 2023. Visit Denver states that no new taxes will be involved.

Rendering courtesy Visit Denver.

Colorado Convention Center upgrades included in the package presented to voters include the addition of 85,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. The addition of 120,000 square feet of new pre-function and service space that will also include a 50,000 sq. ft. outdoor terrace to be located on the roof of the existing convention center. WiFi capacity would also be increased if approved. "We're very fortunate that in 1999, the architects and the City had the foresight to reinforce the roof during the expansion of the center to allow for vertical growth," said Rachel Benedick, Vice President of Sales and Services at Visit Denver. No timetable for the Colorado Convention Center improvements has been set.

Rendering courtesy Visit Denver.

The Colorado Convention Center opened its doors in June 1990 and hosts popular events such as the Great American Beer Festival and Denver Comic Com. The facility has also been credited with creating an increase in demand for downtown hotel rooms. Denver Urban Review first reported on this initiative in June. To see that article click here.

Downtown Denver

Project Announcements

Inside look at 1401 Lawrence

Justin September 18, 2015 at 1:50 am 4

Denver's 1401 Lawrence office tower project has been under construction since last fall. It is now beginning to make a significant impact on Denver's urban fabric. A tour of this project was provided by The Beck Group and was led by project manager Matt Archuletta and assistant superintendent Sean Maloney.

Panorama of 1401 Lawrence on the 12th floor.

The Beck Group designed this building and is serving as the general contractor on 1401 Lawrence. This building will rise to 22 floors once complete. Office space will sit upon 9 levels of parking. Ground floor retail has also been incorporated into the structure. Space will exist for a 9,000 square foot restaurant and a coffee shop.

Workers install rebar that will reinforce the concrete once poured.

View looking north from 12th floor. Lots of construction cranes can be seen.

The project is being developed by Canadian developer First Gulf, the commercial division of Great Gulf Corporation, a Canadian-based organization. National law firm Polsinelli has signed a 15-year lease to become the signature tenant of the building.

A worker welds on one of the floors designed for parking.

Workers on 12th floor of 1401 Lawrence.

Archuletta provided additional insight into the construction progress of 1401 Lawrence: DUR: With it being September and winter around the corner, are there elements of this project you are pushing to get done before the snow flies? Archuletta: The Weather is always a factor. We are really trying to get a lot of our first floor work done. Not necessarily closed in, but concrete completes. As we go up the floors we are always prepared for winter protection as far as heating of the slabs. We are supposed to get gas into the building permanently in the next month. During June, July, and August we start preparing for those colder months. It is not as concerning now that we are out of the ground, but we want to make sure we do not have to heat the ground. DUR: When do you expect 1401 Lawrence will top out? Archuletta: Our current top out date is the end of February. DUR: There is a shortage of construction workers right now, what are you doing to make sure you have plenty or workers on the job?

Tower crane of 1401 Lawrence with the Four Seasons in the background.

Archuletta: That seems to be the part we can control. What we are doing is trying to be the best planners out there, so we meet every morning to talk about that day's goals. We monitor areas where we tend to slow down and areas where we are really good at and try and really understand why. We really attack that and become more productive. We are kind of handicapped in the sense that if a guy leaves he leaves, but the intent is to be the best planners we can. We plan the work for each day in advance, and each week in advance, and each month in advance. DUR: So far what has been the biggest challenge with the construction of 1401 Lawrence? Archuletta: The fact that it is property line to property line. Just overall site logistics. Below is a photo of 1401 Lawrence and a rendering from a similar vantage point. A special thank you to the folks at The Beck Group for this tour!