Stonebridge Cos. is going old school with its newest downtown Denver hotel, a building fundamental to the city’s history.
“When you agree to embark on an adaptive reuse of this magnitude, it is so important to understand the history and legacy of the site because it’s much more than bricks and mortar. This is truly a building that transformed lives,” Stonebridge Chief Operating Officer Chris Manley said of the former Emily Griffith Opportunity School.
Stonebridge Cos. just broke ground on what will be a full-block mixed-use redevelopment to transform the historic school into an upscale hotel – and more.
A historic photo of the Emily Griffith Opportunity School
The four-story building sits across the street from the Colorado Convention Center, between Welton and Glenarm, and 12thand 13thstreets.
“We’re going to do a very exciting mixed-use project. It will be a 252-room hotel on the Welton Street side, and then we’re going to activate the alley and do mixed-use retail on the Glenarm side that will have almost 50,000 square feet of retail amenities for downtown visitors and guests to the convention center,” Manley said.
“I think guests who are going to come to our convention center will really understand and appreciate a building like this and the story it tells. These are going to be extremely well-appointed guest rooms, and you combine that with distinguished hospitality and commitment to guest service and we will have a lot of repeat guests. We couldn’t be more excited about that.”
Denver Public Schools teacher Emily Griffith opened the Opportunity School in 1916 to provide practical skills “For All Those Who Wish to Learn.” The school operated 13 hours a day so adults could attend classes around their work schedules, according to Denver Public Library. The school, now Emily Griffith Technical College, was enlarged over time and eventually relocated to 1860 Lincoln St. Stonebridge Cos. bought the Welton Street property for $26.1 million in 2015.
“Throughout the design of the hotel and the project, you will see various threads and components of the school reused,” said Manley. The wide hallways with their tall ceilings will be preserved, chalkboard-like elements will be incorporated into the design, and the fitness center will be “very reminiscent of an old-school gymnasium.”
Stonebridge Cos. has developed numerous Denver hotels from the ground up, but also has adapted historic buildings – notably the former Colorado National Bank building at 918 17thSt., which opened in 2014 as the Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center. The lobby of the hotel, constructed of Colorado Yule marble in 1915, showcases huge murals of Native American life by illustrator Allen Tupper True that have been part of the building since 1925.
That building and Emily Griffith “are extremely similar in terms of the onus and the obligation that we have to preserve the legacy of the building. The way we approach projects like this and the buildings that have such historical significance is we are truly a steward of the building, so we need to make sure that whatever we do, we never forget the lives that were transformed within the building,” said Manley.
“A bank is meaningful, but I don’t think it touches people the way education does,” Stonebridge Cos. President and CEO Navin Dimond said just prior to breaking ground on the new hotel and retail destination. Dimond said he hopes future visitors will instinctively recognize the building as a former school.
Stonebridge is working with 4240 Architecture and interior designer The Society on design of the former Emily Griffith property, and Mortenson is the contractor. The company hopes to open the hotel and retail component by early 2021.
“Anytime you approach an adaptive reuse, it’s always a challenge to work within the existing footprint … but because it’s a challenge, it’s a great opportunity for the design team, the contractor and us, as the developer, to really hone our craft and think hard about how to execute extremely well, given the site constraints,” Manley commented.
“Stonebridge was founded in Denver in 1991 and we couldn’t be more excited about having another project in the city and county of Denver. The city and county have been wonderful to work with, and we appreciate them entrusting us with such an important building to the city’s legacy.”
