DenverInfill Blog

The Bank of Denver building is easily expendable, but it's a shame the historic Republic Hotel building has to go. From what I understand, the building's condition is very poor and due to consideration of its condition, the approval of demolition is probably a done deal. Still, however, it's a shame to see any historic building go.

However, the redevelopment potential of the block is exciting, so let's just hope that Evan Makovsky has some great plans for this block.
 

Demolition begins now, but construction won't start for another 2 to 3 years? So basically, we've got a new parking lot for a while, eh?
 

That was quick! I bet they're regretting that paint job they gave the Republic Hotel right before the Hyatt opened!
 

Wow, demolition started very quickly after those building were aquired.
 

Although I too want to see development on this block, I think is a shame that the "Republic Hotel" building is going to be demolished. This building has character, and it has scale (a small approachable building). What is going to go in its place? Something quite large, I presume. In my opinion we can tolerate large developments, but why not keep them to the empty blocks? I think we'd be better off with a good mixture of small scale (Republic hotel-type buildings) and also large-scale (department store-type buildings). With the loss of the Republic Hotel we lose scale and we lose history.
 

oh boy! 2 new empty lots for downtown!! thanks mr. makovsky! this will surely impress dnc visitors...
 

Republic Hotel has been all-but-abandoned for years by an owner who wouldn't invest a penny into maintenance or improvement. Not even sure who paid for the paint job, but I don't think it was the family that owned it. Still, it's too bad that Denver is losing another piece of history.
 

its better than two shity looking bulding falling down, give the man credit for thinking big, so we have too live with parking lots for 2yrs its not worst than looking at these ugly thing from the back side
 

Oh good gracious people. If you were going to redevelop a block and had buildings practically to the state of uninhabitability would you pay to keep them maintained for the 3 years while trying to gather the financing to do your development? You'd be a stupid businessman if you did.. and not the type of person I'd have confidence in getting any sort of intelligent redevelopment to happen on the block. Republic is nice yeah but in terrible shape. There would be costs just keeping it from being squatted and having some sort of injury happen to someone. Or to temporarily bolster it to stay standing while you wait to redevelop the lot. Same with the Bank of Denver building. Cut some serious slack for someone that is going to change one of the worst blocks in Denver!
 

It's not about the DNC visitors, it's about what is better in the long run. I'm sure the new plans will be 100x better than what is currently there.

I have to dissagree that the Republic has character. Maybe on the inside. The outside looks like the fake Belmar buildings...
 

i hate to beat a dead horse, but why couldn't they have waited until they were ready to begin construction to demo these buildings? i can't imagine cost being the reason. it just doesn't make any sense.
 

I would have liked to see the Republic Bank building saved as well. I wonder how many empty lots/parking lots exist downtown that were cleared for construction that never began? A lot of things can change in a two to three year period.
 

I don't think any more time should have been wasted on the Bank of Denver Building being tore down it was nasty, but I do agree about the Republic Hotel - I don't see the need to tear it down so quickly except for a tax break. I think the Republic Hotel should have stayed and renovated (and a different color).
 

I guess this is one way to bring the office vacancy rates down!
 

here is what is really sad to me as a rail enthusiast....(stay with me here...)

the C/D lines were supposed to be extended past 5pts and up to 40/40 to meet up with the airport and other lines...this woudl have given us a SERIOUS through-system with a larger DT loop...made a lot of sense...until...

many neighbors in a very downtrodden area started to claim that too many 'historic' structures would be lost along the downing street extension...well, i have checked and there are ZERO 'historic' structures and very few homes / buildings that are even in half-decent shape...yet this blocked a sensible addition to our train system.

in the scenario - we're very quickly losing TWO good buildings. it's different because it is a private deal - however, i am sure that at some point mr. makovsky will probably be asking for some TIF $$, which means the public should have had a chance to weigh in on the demolition and our urban history / environment...
 

Not looking forward to an even emptier block for the next years...
 

Obviously no one seems to appreciate the 1960s era facade on the Bank of Denver building. But beneath it is yet another old Denver building circa unknown to me. The rear of the building lets us know that it is old, probably from a century ago. While the redevelopment of the site is worthwhile, we are losing more of our historic fabric. When buildings look their worst, that is when they need the most support from the preservation community. Few rallied around Lower Downtown in 1988 when those buildings looked worse than the Republic Hotel. If LoDo could be "fixed up", so could these two buildings. It would have been nice to see them or at least their historic facades incorporated into the new project by Mr. Makovsky. As this century continues, we see less and less what central and upper downtown once looked like, especially along 14th and 15th streets. And while most of the stretches of those streets look hideous and are a disgrace to the rest of downtown, I don't think the solution is to knock down all last vestiges of the 19th and early 20th century's built environment.
 

I bet there is a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, the dt denver partnership is involved, I believed it can happen faster then two years. It will watch. the purchase, the demo, the construction, mark my words they've been planning!
 

i rather have a empty block than look at these ugly buldings- look at the backside of these , thank you for tearing these down
 

OMG, 1,000,000 square feet?!!? I hope they get this thing off the ground, and before some sort of recession hits. That is easily a 40 story building we're talking for this amount of square footage, if not 50! Let's just hope that it doesn't die in vain to leave another lot, as so many others in the past (Reliance Center, Capitol Tower, YMCA, the list goes on and on).
 

a little off of the subject but can you update on the shrine where the donald was suppose to have built his tower, whats up with the property now?
 

1 mil is no where near 5o stories unless it has a tiny foot print. Republic Plaza is 1.7 mil sq ft. I bet we see 25-30 stories with a 4-5 story base that covers the whole block.
 

It won't cover the whole block, Anon 2:32. The Fontius building and the building next to it are both on the historical record and both still owned by the Cook family. The article said Makovsky was contemplating maybe a 40 story building that will take up half the block.
 

What a shame. I went through the old Bank of Denver building a few years ago and expected the building to be wiped out inside, but most of the old details (hardwood floors, Arts & Crafts-era doors, wrought iron staircases, etc.) are still there. Even the historic facade (search the DPL western history page for "Standish Hotel") is still intact under all that metal.

With this crazy economy anything can happen- remember when they tore down the old Denver Post building and it sat as a parking lot forever and ever?

The Bank, the Republic, Duffy's, that old garage... man, I guess the whole LoDo honeymoon is over. Look out, Fontius!
 

i sure hope we dont lose yet ANOTHER dowtown alley...or at least put an alley in behind fontius / mcclintock.
 

naw man foreal, what is up with the el jebel shrine property now?
 

Who cares about alleys...!
 

I care about alleys. They are vital and practical part to dense building environments (and busy streets), what with the need to provide access for garbage trucks and other day-to-day support. This sort of issue is all-to-often ignored or at least not given high enough priority when buildings are designed and when plots of land are filled.