Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Parking and Art Deco in Downtown Denver
"Art Deco" and "parking garages" are not two things that are normally associated together, but when the first parking garages were built in Downtown Denver in the late 1920s, that's exactly what their developers thought of. As you may know, Downtown Denver's historic Motor Hotel Garage at 14th and Stout on Block 138 is on the verge of demolition. A fence is up around the property and excavators are waiting patiently in the parking lot next door. The site is the future home of the Embassy Suites/Homewood Suites project.
So, assuming we have only a few days left to recognize this building's 80-year presence on Stout Street, let's take a final look at it before it's gone. Much of the building leaves much to be desired. Its two side facades are unadorned and were built as common walls, and its alley facade is, as one would expect, quite plain. But the front reflects a sense of dignity and pride. Just because it was built as a parking garage doesn't mean that it lacked an attention to architectural detail appropriate for its era. While relatively reserved in its Art Deco expression, its few decorative elements stand out, even today in their state of disrepair, as beautiful examples of a bygone era. Maybe someone can save a few of these elements and incorporate them into the new Embassy Suites?
So, assuming we have only a few days left to recognize this building's 80-year presence on Stout Street, let's take a final look at it before it's gone. Much of the building leaves much to be desired. Its two side facades are unadorned and were built as common walls, and its alley facade is, as one would expect, quite plain. But the front reflects a sense of dignity and pride. Just because it was built as a parking garage doesn't mean that it lacked an attention to architectural detail appropriate for its era. While relatively reserved in its Art Deco expression, its few decorative elements stand out, even today in their state of disrepair, as beautiful examples of a bygone era. Maybe someone can save a few of these elements and incorporate them into the new Embassy Suites?
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this is quite sad...not that it is being replaced by a great hotel...but that it appears there was zero serious effort to brace and save the facade of a wondeful structure.
we keep making the same historic mistakes, despite the city's protest that is has 'learned from the mistakes of DURA' (who tore down 120 BLOCKS of old Denver in the 1960s...)
we keep making the same historic mistakes, despite the city's protest that is has 'learned from the mistakes of DURA' (who tore down 120 BLOCKS of old Denver in the 1960s...)
Permalink Posted by 
: 5/02/2007 08:52:00 AM
: 5/02/2007 08:52:00 AM
It certainly would have been nice if they could have renovated that building, used it as their parking garage, and built around it with some sort of style that blended the art deco with the Denver-warehouse styles.
Permalink Posted by : 5/02/2007 09:52:00 AM
: 5/02/2007 09:52:00 AM
Thanks for posting these details. They're actually pretty interesting because they have a clear tip-of-the-hat to Otto Wagner's secessionist style of architecture, which is used throughout Vienna's subway system (and to some extent the subway in Paris). Here, the decorative style has been modified to fit our dominant mode of transport with a bit of a car motif (note the wheels). Good stuff. I hope these elements will be recycled...
Permalink Posted by : 5/02/2007 10:56:00 AM
: 5/02/2007 10:56:00 AM
I understand the desire to incorporate historical buildings into new projects - I'm a huge fan of it, actually - but this particular building made that difficult. First, it's in the center of the block, not at the edge, so limits the way another building could be built above or around it to save the facade. Also, it's a parking garage, so it has atypical floors and probably a very sturdy, heavy support structure that is difficult to evacuate and replace with the robust steel frame necessary to support a building extending above this one.
Finally, the building looks attractive to us today, but historically it was never that notable; the fancy decorative brickwork that makes the building novel and old-fashioned was ubiquitous for Downtown buildings before later minimalistic designs took over. You can see in older images of this building that the adjacent building on 14th and Stout, now already demolished, was far more intricate and attractive. When it comes to preserving historic buildings, (which often gets into property rights issues), I say save the designation to the best. I won't miss that mural, either.
I do support re-using the building's elements, and I hope someone makes a move on that before the building is destroyed.
Finally, the building looks attractive to us today, but historically it was never that notable; the fancy decorative brickwork that makes the building novel and old-fashioned was ubiquitous for Downtown buildings before later minimalistic designs took over. You can see in older images of this building that the adjacent building on 14th and Stout, now already demolished, was far more intricate and attractive. When it comes to preserving historic buildings, (which often gets into property rights issues), I say save the designation to the best. I won't miss that mural, either.
I do support re-using the building's elements, and I hope someone makes a move on that before the building is destroyed.
It's a lot better than the old Duffy's building, and, in reality, a lot more unique. Why wasn't there any outcry in regards to this building that Duffy's received when Brookfield's plans were announced.
Oh yeah, because it wasn't "old" enough.
How hypocritical.
Oh yeah, because it wasn't "old" enough.
How hypocritical.
To clarify, the original plan was for the Embassy Suites to be built between the garage and 14th Street, and incorporate the garage as part of the development. But there just wasn't enough room and they couldn't make the design work.
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