Sage Building Exterior Restoration Complete/Aurora Reopens Utah Park/One Ski Hill Place Under Way

Exterior Restoration of Sage Building Complete

The exterior restoration of Denver’s historic Sage Building, also known as the Fontius Building, on the 16th Street Mall at Welton Street, was completed this summer, just in time for the Democratic National Convention.

Before the restoration, the windows that dominated the facade and the east side of the dilapidated building had been boarded up for decades. Its delicate terra cotta, now restored to its original white with gentle red and blue accents, had been blackened after years of absorbing carbon monoxide from downtown traffic.

The restoration took the commitment of developer Evan Makovsky and the design team, led by Denver architectural firm klipp, Milender White Construction Co. of Golden—with the help of the city and county of Denver and the Downtown Denver Partnership.

The $13-million restoration project was financed in part by Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and First Bank.

Fitzgeralds Casino Expansion In Black Hawk Completed

In August, Haselden Construction of Centennial and ICI Design Group of Minneapolis completed the two-phase, 32,000-sq-ft expansion of the Fitzgeralds casino in Black Hawk. The project restored the historic Rohling Inn and adjacent Masonic Building—structures that date from the 1860s.

The $22-million project included the reconstructed Masonic Building, encompassing 22,000 sq ft, with the Rohling Inn portion contributing an additional 9,000 sq ft. Gaming areas, offices and back-of-house operations comprised the majority of the expansion.

Careful planning ensured that new construction did not diminish the nostalgic charm of some of the oldest documented structures along the Front Range.

Preliminary demolition began in spring 2006, with structural renovation starting in August 2006.

Aurora’s Utah Park Reopens

In August, the city of Aurora reopened Utah Park, which has been transformed using a master plan developed by Denver planning firm Design Concepts.

The park, located a few blocks west of Interstate 225 and just north of Jewell Avenue near Overland High School, was built in the 1960s as a community park for the city of Aurora. It was also used as a flood control facility for the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District. The $5.8-million park served as a large stormwater detention basis, with a muddy lake at the bottom and Westerly Creek and Jewel Tributary channeled beneath it in pipes.

The two natural creeks that flow into the park run approximately a million gal. of water through the site per day. This water, which ran only through pipes for nearly 50 years, has been brought to the surface to create naturalized waterways, wetlands and ponds.

Utah Park now features soccer, baseball and softball fields, a basketball half-court, a sledding hill, a grassy community amphitheater for summer concerts and passive park space, as well as the existing indoor pool building, tennis courts, and a one-mi. perimeter path rebuilt with concrete and soft surfaces.

The contractor on the project was Loveland’s ECI Site Construction Management Inc.

One Ski Hill Place Breaks Ground

In August, Vail Resorts Development Co. broke ground on One Ski Hill Place at the base of Breckenridge’s Peak 8.

One Ski Hill Place is part of Peak 8’s newest master-planned development, which features approximately 282 residential units and 48,000 sq ft of skier services. When complete, it will include 88 luxury, ski-in/ski-out units that will range from studios to four bedrooms and from approximately 500 to 2,000 sq ft.

PCL Construction Services of Denver is the contractor for the project, scheduled to open in 2010. The architect is O’Bryan Partnership.

Beleza to Bring Green Living to RiNo District

The River North District will eventually be home to Beleza, a new 66-unit, 14-story residential high-rise modeled after Curitiba, a Brazilian city that has actively promoted sustainable lifestyle and development for more than 30 years.

Beleza’s goal is to achieve a high level of LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

White Construction Building New Elbert County Justice Center

White Construction Group is working on the new Elbert County Justice Center in Kiowa.

This design-build project consists of a 12,000-sq-ft, single-story building and will feature a heavy timber-framed, open canopy to capture the old west boardwalk feel of the town.

Project partners include the Office of the Board of County Commissioners, owner; Humphries Poli Architects; Michelle Lopez-Orsini, architect.

The project should finish next March.

Coe Completes Renovations on Former DIA Holiday Inn

Coe Construction Inc. of Loveland is nearly done with the renovation of the former DIA Holiday Inn, now under new ownership and being re-branded as a Crowne Plaza.

To meet the Crowne Plaza brand standards, a new grand entry porte cochere was constructed, along with an elegant lobby. The new lobby opened to the public in mid-July.

Other upgrades include new carpeting and fresh paint for the guest tower corridors and guest rooms, a new business center, new state-of-the-art fitness center and many other aesthetic changes.

The hotel is located at 15500 E. 40th Ave. in Denver.

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