A rendering of the project as seen from 17th Street, submitted to the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission. (Courtesy Nichols Partnership)
A hotel proposed near Union Station is now set to incorporate one existing structure, not two as was originally proposed.
Denver-based Nichols Partnership, led by Randy Nichols, originally proposed a hotel that would replace the parking lot at the corner of 17th and Blake streets in June 2022.
While the bulk of the project would be new construction, plans originally called for the hotel to incorporate both the existing building at 1702 Wazee St., which is currently a private residence known as The Red House, and the three-story office building at 1725 Blake St.
But the 1725 Blake St. building — which was proposed to have event, spa and fitness space — is no longer part of the project, according to updated development plans submitted to the city.
The change appears to have been made by late 2022 but has not previously been reported. A Nichols executive declined to comment on the change last week.
The office building at 1725 Blake St. is no longer poised to be incorporated into the hotel, which would be built on the adjacent parking lot. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
The latest version of the plans call for a seven-story building to be erected on the existing parking lot, which is 0.43 acres. It would have a bar, lounge and lobby on the ground floor, and 123 hotel rooms and suites above. The spa and fitness center have been relocated to the second floor.
Across the alley at 1702 Wazee St., the first floor of the existing residence, which was built in 1998 and wraps around a courtyard that can’t be seen from the street, would be turned into the hotel’s restaurant. There would be some meeting space on the upper floors.
The Red House at 1702 Wazee St. would be incorporated into the hotel. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
The project went before the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission for the third time earlier this month.
While the submission by Nichols and its architecture firm, Beck Architecture, received unanimous approval on its first two visits, there was one vote in opposition at the LoDo board’s May 2 meeting.
Commissioner Jim Graebner said he liked the idea of a hotel on the site in general, but objected to the role The Red House would play.
“This comes out ignoring The Red House and ignoring it is the last privately owned residence in the district,” Graebner said, calling it a “tremendous downgrading” for the property.
But commissioner Fred Glick noted that the LoDo board is tasked with weighing in on exterior design.
“There are no changes proposed to the exterior, so the use of it … that goes outside our purview,” Glick said.
The plans refer to the project as The Red House Hotel, although it’s unclear if that would be the official name. Rooms would generally be in the range of 425 to 525 square feet, with suites ranging from 700 to 800 square feet, according to a document submitted to the LoDo board.
Nichols and Denver-based BMC Investments are also preparing to open a Moxy hotel in Boulder.
A rendering of the project as seen from 17th Street, submitted to the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission. (Courtesy Nichols Partnership)
A hotel proposed near Union Station is now set to incorporate one existing structure, not two as was originally proposed.
Denver-based Nichols Partnership, led by Randy Nichols, originally proposed a hotel that would replace the parking lot at the corner of 17th and Blake streets in June 2022.
While the bulk of the project would be new construction, plans originally called for the hotel to incorporate both the existing building at 1702 Wazee St., which is currently a private residence known as The Red House, and the three-story office building at 1725 Blake St.
But the 1725 Blake St. building — which was proposed to have event, spa and fitness space — is no longer part of the project, according to updated development plans submitted to the city.
The change appears to have been made by late 2022 but has not previously been reported. A Nichols executive declined to comment on the change last week.
The office building at 1725 Blake St. is no longer poised to be incorporated into the hotel, which would be built on the adjacent parking lot. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
The latest version of the plans call for a seven-story building to be erected on the existing parking lot, which is 0.43 acres. It would have a bar, lounge and lobby on the ground floor, and 123 hotel rooms and suites above. The spa and fitness center have been relocated to the second floor.
Across the alley at 1702 Wazee St., the first floor of the existing residence, which was built in 1998 and wraps around a courtyard that can’t be seen from the street, would be turned into the hotel’s restaurant. There would be some meeting space on the upper floors.
The Red House at 1702 Wazee St. would be incorporated into the hotel. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
The project went before the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission for the third time earlier this month.
While the submission by Nichols and its architecture firm, Beck Architecture, received unanimous approval on its first two visits, there was one vote in opposition at the LoDo board’s May 2 meeting.
Commissioner Jim Graebner said he liked the idea of a hotel on the site in general, but objected to the role The Red House would play.
“This comes out ignoring The Red House and ignoring it is the last privately owned residence in the district,” Graebner said, calling it a “tremendous downgrading” for the property.
But commissioner Fred Glick noted that the LoDo board is tasked with weighing in on exterior design.
“There are no changes proposed to the exterior, so the use of it … that goes outside our purview,” Glick said.
The plans refer to the project as The Red House Hotel, although it’s unclear if that would be the official name. Rooms would generally be in the range of 425 to 525 square feet, with suites ranging from 700 to 800 square feet, according to a document submitted to the LoDo board.
Nichols and Denver-based BMC Investments are also preparing to open a Moxy hotel in Boulder.
