The Park Hill farmhouse’s fate and the same situation for the iconic Tom’s Diner on East Colfax created a sobering situation for everyone. There were sorrow and concern from those seeking a reprieve from the probable demolition of the Park Hill farmhouse, but the case was lost. There were tears and sorrow and concern during …
Continue reading "One thumb’s up, one thumb’s down: An emotional afternoon"
Flash back for a bit to May 21. Almost two months ago, the city proposed demolishing the South Ramp at Red Rocks, with concerns for its structural integrity, among other concerns. Also on that agenda before the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission, the staff and commissioners also presented a new concept for a stage cover. The …
Continue reading "Late, but: What happened when smart discussion got amped up about a ramp"
Over the past few months, there have been many attempts to designate various properties by a person (or persons) who is not the owner. They respond to a listing of properties that are aiming for non-historic status, also sometimes known as the kiss of doom. But recently, a farmhouse in Park Hill also has entered …
Continue reading "Legal fight? Food fight? Preservation can get messy."
My personal Modernism Week began with the sad recounting of what happened to I.M. Pei’s projects because the City and County of Denver has treated his work in a despicable manner. That undoubtedly will continue into the future; the 16thStreet Mall is being considered for an update, but who knows how well that will go? …
Continue reading "Day 3: Denver’s allergy to inspired architecture"
This is my personal Modernism Week: Day Two. For many, the Loretto Heights campus stands out for its historic Richardsonian Romanesque sandstone structures, such as the administration building and the chapel. They are beautiful. But there are also really fine Modern buildings on that campus, especially the May Bonfils Stanton Performing Arts Center, which is …
Continue reading "Modernism also is key to the future of Loretto Heights’ campus"
I have declared this my personal Modernism Week, just because Modernism is on my mind. There have been several events recently honoring Modernist buildings, with tours and talks. This is good, but we have lost so many buildings of that era, there must be some way to preserve that wealth. These buildings are vanishing, especially …
This week two proposals for two hotels in two Denver neighborhoods were reviewed. One didn’t get the go-ahead from the Landmark Preservation Commission, while another was given the OK to proceed – with conditions – by the Lower Downtown Design Review Board. On Tuesday, the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission expressed concerns about two items involving …
Continue reading "Sometimes you need a better top. Or any top."
Denver’s Five Points Cultural District is one of a kind. It stretches along Welton Street from 24th Street to 30th Street, with a little bump out at Washington Street at 26th Street. The cultural district was first approved in 2002 as the Welton Street Commercial Corridor Cultural District, but the name was changed a few years ago. There …
Continue reading "The Rossonian: If you don’t succeed, try again"
Last October, the Rossonian was on the Denver Landmark Preservation agenda for two design reviews. One item was the partial demolition of the roof, and the second item was the rehabilitation, rooftop addition, and alterations to the Rossonian's annex next door. Those discussions were postponed. Now, the revered Rossonian, a 1911 building designed by George …
Continue reading "The Rossonian: A landmark on the agenda, again"
This past January, Denver’s department of Community Planning and Development helped convene a community meeting to gather information on what people in the neighborhood wanted in terms of the potential redevelopment of the Loretto Heights campus. The image at the top of this post shows the answers people gave the city to two key questions: …
Continue reading "Take Two tomorrow, on Loretto Heights’ future"
