Nolte Honored for Revitalization Project

Before revitalization, Manitou Springs had become a tourist trap with a decaying business district.

Photo courtesy of Nolte Associates Inc

Nolte Associates Inc. has been selected to receive the Partnership for Community Design Award for its work on the Manitou Avenue Revitalization Project in Manitou Springs.

Located west of Colorado Springs, the city of Manitou Springs used to be a popular tourist destination serving spa crowds in the 1850s. Over time, the city became more of a tourist trap than a destination as city revenues dramatically decreased, the business district began to decay and its centralized parks became eyesores.

Nolte provided the urban planning, design and engineering elements to help attract more visitors to the town and encourage private redevelopment in the seven-block central business district. Today, Manitou Springs is again thriving as a tourist destination with an economic climate fostering business development and growth.

New infrastructure is being built and visitor numbers have increased.

After the revitalization, this award-winning project has once again emerged as a tourist destination.

Photo courtesy of Nolte Associates Inc

Key to the project’s success was preserving the historic charm of Manitou Springs. The new streetscape was designed to take full advantage of the city’s historic features. A number of the street modifications represent significant changes from existing conditions. Improvements included reducing the existing four-lane roadway to three lanes and adding round-about intersections and mid-block pedestrian crossings.

Streetscape and pedestrian upgrades, such as widening sidewalks and providing ADA ramps, serve not only to attract foot traffic but also provide significant safety and aesthetic improvements.

The design awards were given out during a ceremony on Jan. 23 by the Partnership for Community Design, which recognizes efforts in landscape/environmental design, community planning, architectural design, building renovation and/or restoration, public art, public activities or other projects that enhance the visual environment and quality of life of the Colorado Springs area.

Judging was done by volunteer representatives of design, business, art and public and private organizations. The Partnership for Community Design is a nonprofit organization.

The Manitou Avenue project has won other awards, including a 2007 Gold Hard Hat Award from Colorado Construction magazine and the Governor’s Award for Downtown Excellence in Partnership from the Colorado Community Revitalization Association.

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