Boettcher Concert Hall Architect Selected

The Boettcher Concert Hall Architect Selection Committee chose Toronto based, Diamond and Schmitt Architects and their local partner, Oz Architecture, to lead the design of the symphony hall renovation and expansion project. Plans call for essentially gutting the building's interior and building a new concert hall inside and adding a 35,000-square-foot expansion on the Speer Boulevard side of the building.

via Cherry Creek News

16th Street Mall - Keep the Granite and the Trees, lose the Teletubbies

"Where else in the United States does this exist?" asked Paul Chapel, a principal with BOKA Powell Architects, in Dallas. "A mile of granite carpet woven by hand. It's a work of art."

"Those beautiful granite pavers, set so that they look like the back of a rattlesnake, are inspired, a hallmark of a mixed transit and pedestrian mall designed by Henry Cobb, a partner of I.M. Pei, whose name was dropped liberally during the presentation."

"Honor the original design and its civic significance to Denver," ...that includes uncluttering the sidewalks; old pictures of the mall show understated planters and other accessories. "Those Teletubby planters and wastebaskets have to go," said Brown of the numerous newly (and brightly) painted planters and wastebaskets.

Lots of discussion of the recent Mall meetings at the DenverInfill Blog: The Future of the 16th Street Mall

via Rocky Mountain News

Photo Credit :: denver.gov

Denver Union Station Project Meeting on Thursday

The Union Station Advocates are hosting an update on the Union Station Project in Denver this Thursday, all interested citizens are invited. Some of the agenda items include a overall project update, a video project with Havey Productions, CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning studio wrap up, a planning/branding exercise and discussion, and a post meeting happy hour.

Thursday, May 15th 4 - 5:30pm at the Oxford Hotel, Theatre Room, $10 at the door, hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served with a cash bar for the post meeting happy hour in the Cruise Room. See this link for agenda and RSVP info.

Fontius Building Facelift is Looking Up

Fontius Building Detail Photo by Ken at Infill Blog

Back in January, developer Evan Makovsky received an important approval for new, energy efficient windows on the north and east side of the Fontius Building at the corner of the 16th Street Mall and Welton Street. In late April, workers began hanging large windows that will pivot just as the original ones did. Makovsky had to get permission from the Landmark Preservation Commission to replace the originals. Without the $1 million energy-efficient windows, the project would not have moved forward.

The terra-cotta exterior has also been restored on the upper floors, which from the 16th Street Mall reveals a handsome building that had been hidden for decades under dirt and disrepair. An artist has been hired to mold 9 tons of clay by hand the way craftsmen did in the 1920s to restore the terra-cotta exterior of the bottom floors for the Renaissance Revival-style building design by Merrill Hoyt, brother of famous architect Burnham Hoyt. The current restoration is being undertaken by architect Brian Klipp and the construction company Milender White Construction Co.

The exterior work is expected to be complete in time for the Democratic National Convention in August when a "Mega Tent" will soar 50 feet high behind the building. The tent, called "The Peak" is in the process of being erected and when completed (by June 1st), will lend 20,000 feet of space to host concerts, banquets, and trade shows. Should be quite a sight (site).

Rocky Mountain News - Ugly Duckling

Denver Biz Journal - Mega Tent

DenverInfill Blog: Block 162 Update