XBX WESTERN
1331 Fifteenth Street
Denver, Colorado

Lower Downtown Historic District
Retail / Residential
Exterior Renovation & Interior
Restoration – Remodel – 1995
8.000 S.F. – Cost: $490,000

One of the first sizable buildings to be constructed in Lower Downtown Denver, built in 1878, this structure originally served as a bar, dance hall and brothel. After a period of commercial storage use and then vacancy, BlueSky Studio was retained to assist in converting the space to retail use and creating a two-story loft apartment.

Restoration of the building facades included replacement windows, sill and belt course repair, new steel sheathing at the rear elevation, and the complete reconstruction of the ground floor storefront, keeping in character with its historic forebear. BlueSky worked closely with the Lower Downtown Design Review Board to design an appropriate storefront system. The few remaining interior details, including door and window casings and wood base, were carefully restored, the corrugated tin ceilings were also replaced in kind.

A new exiting system was designed at the rear of the building, within the tight constraints the space provided, to comply with current codes. Significant structural bracing was also required to meet current lateral design code requirements. This was accomplished with minimum visual impact through careful integration with architectural detailing, updating not only the beauty of this grand old building but the safety as well.