Larimer Square, one of Denver’s oldest blocks, was preserved and restored in the 1960s by Dana Crawford and Larimer Associates. In the late 1980’s, Larimer Square was purchased by the Hahn Company. Semple Brown and Civitas were selected to create and implement a phased Master Plan which included multiple phases of improvements that have contributed to the success and longevity of the historic district. These included: [READ MORE]
- Working with the Colorado Department of Transportation to reduce the street width from 5 lanes of traffic to 2 lanes. This allowed the widening of the sidewalks and the establishment of a more pedestrian scale street.
- Restoration of 22 historic building facades.
- Infilling storefronts that had been removed in previous phases.
- New infill buildings designed to complement the historic structures and to fill in vacant lots. These include: The Neverland Building, 1400 Larimer, and the Parking Garage.
- Connections to the courtyards and parking garage
- Sidewalk and streetscape improvements to support outdoor dining and festival events.
- Development of Tenant Design Guidelines
In 2018, Semple Brown was engaged by Larimer Associates and Urban Villages to plan and design further improvements, including
- Activation of the alleys in the block
- Consolidation of district infrastructure
- Shared accessibility and pedestrian enhancements
The phased master plan and improvements were awarded the following awards:
LARIMER SQUARE
Building Magazine Renovation Awards, 1990
Award of Merit, 1990 AIA Colorado
Award of Citation, 1990 AIA Western Mountain Region
Honor Award, 1989 Historic Denver Annual Awards
LARIMER SQUARE BULL AND BEAR COURTYARD
Honorable Mention, 1990 Monitor Magazine
Award of Merit, 1990 ASLA Design Awards
Annual Award, 1990 Denver Partnership Inc.
