Monday, June 04, 2007
New Street-Level Space to Enliven 17th & Arapahoe
Over the past month or so, a number of you have asked me... "What's going on at the corner of 17th and Arapahoe?" You've been curious about the demolition of the rather unengaging entry structure and elevated plaza component of the former Qwest tower at 1005 17th Street on Block 096 in Downtown Denver. You know, this building here:
Here's what it looked like as of about ten days ago:
Last December, Qwest sold the building to Miller Global Properties, which is in the process of renovating the building for a post-Qwest future. Part of that renovation includes demolishing the short structure facing 17th Street and replacing it with a new street-level lobby, restaurant and retail space. The property is also now going by the address of 1001 17th Street.
I haven't yet been able to obtain from Miller Global any specifics about the new entry project, such as square footage, perspective tenants, schedule, etc. but, thanks to a buddy of mine who managed to track down a rendering, I'm able to at least show you what it will look like (Barber Architecture of Denver did the design):
Whatever the details may be, the new structure will certainly be an improvement over the original in terms of its relationship to the pedestrian and providing visually interesting and active uses along the sidewalk. This type of project is also nicely consistent with the recommendations of the new Downtown Area Plan, which identified the blank-wall façades of many of our '70s and '80s office towers as a hindrance to Downtown vitality. In the future, we're likely to see more Downtown office owners reconfigure and remodel their buildings' plazas and street-level façades with pedestrian-active uses in order to remain competitive with the many new office projects under development throughout Downtown Denver.
Here's what it looked like as of about ten days ago:
Last December, Qwest sold the building to Miller Global Properties, which is in the process of renovating the building for a post-Qwest future. Part of that renovation includes demolishing the short structure facing 17th Street and replacing it with a new street-level lobby, restaurant and retail space. The property is also now going by the address of 1001 17th Street.
I haven't yet been able to obtain from Miller Global any specifics about the new entry project, such as square footage, perspective tenants, schedule, etc. but, thanks to a buddy of mine who managed to track down a rendering, I'm able to at least show you what it will look like (Barber Architecture of Denver did the design):
Whatever the details may be, the new structure will certainly be an improvement over the original in terms of its relationship to the pedestrian and providing visually interesting and active uses along the sidewalk. This type of project is also nicely consistent with the recommendations of the new Downtown Area Plan, which identified the blank-wall façades of many of our '70s and '80s office towers as a hindrance to Downtown vitality. In the future, we're likely to see more Downtown office owners reconfigure and remodel their buildings' plazas and street-level façades with pedestrian-active uses in order to remain competitive with the many new office projects under development throughout Downtown Denver.
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I agree with your comments about "... the blank-wall façades of many of our '70s and '80s office towers ..." This new building is a welcome replacement. I wonder if 20-30 years from now we will be saying the similar things about the two new art museums ... "Let's demolish the ugly designs of the early 2000s."
Permalink Posted by 
: 6/04/2007 07:13:00 PM
: 6/04/2007 07:13:00 PM
I would also love to know what they'll be doing on the 18th Street side of this building. Eighteenth is one of downtown's most grim streets, treated by the 1970s developers as one long series of parking garages and loading docks. With all of the attention (rightly) focused on 14th right now, I hope that in a few years the downtown powers will turn their sights to 18th and 19th as streets that need love too.
I disagree about the above comment about the art museums. I feel like, at very least, they will eventually be downgraded to the status of our other major adventurous building: the Gio Ponti designed original wing of the museum, which I would consider to be well-liked and iconic of Denver, but no longer as loved as it once was. Or as controversial.
I do wonder what will happen to all of our new buildings along 14th street however. The new downtown plan calls for lots of street level retail, yet many of the new buildings we're all so excited about -- The new Hyatt, for example -- have left massive dead zones of blank wall along major chunks of downtown. Will the blocks between 14th and 15th streets end up looking a lot like the 17th street area? It's looking that way.
I do wonder what will happen to all of our new buildings along 14th street however. The new downtown plan calls for lots of street level retail, yet many of the new buildings we're all so excited about -- The new Hyatt, for example -- have left massive dead zones of blank wall along major chunks of downtown. Will the blocks between 14th and 15th streets end up looking a lot like the 17th street area? It's looking that way.
(ryan nee)I think that will only be the case if all the buildings are as large as the Hyatt (which they won't be). Most of the buildings are putting the blank sides of their buildings towards the ally's.. I don't think it will be the same at all. You may see those sides of the building facing the ally of the Spire or Embassy Suites, but only until other buildings get built on the other half of those blocks.
Permalink Posted by : 6/05/2007 12:38:00 PM
: 6/05/2007 12:38:00 PM
I disagree with the comments about the buildings of the 70s and 80s and with the current trend to eliminate everything we simply don't like the look of. Brutalism (17th and Arapahoe) was a very creative period in my opinion and it gave us some amazing pieces of engineering and "WOW" buildings. What held up that enormous corner overhang at 17th & Arapahoe? I've spent more than acouple of rain storms huddled under it. Where is the shade and weather protection in the new scheme? Cities can't be all retail along the sidewalk. There has to be some buidlings simply for office type business too. It's not just the skyline that makes for a memorable and interesting city and it's certainly not the retail opportunities either. Those are getting more and more homogenous. People won't remember the building that contains a Starbucks but I think they do remember something like that overhang even if they don't enter the building. There has to be some small buildings that act as art along the street and I mourn the lost of this one.
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Permalink Posted by : 6/22/2007 06:17:00 AM
: 6/22/2007 06:17:00 AM Links to this post:
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