CREJ - Journal

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/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / MARCH 2015

The fourth-floor lobby will be centered on

“one large gallery area” that opens up to an

outdoor patio above Broadway via folding glass

NanaWalls, said Bosquez. “You come up the el-

evator and you’re almost outside again.”

The lobby “will be flooded with natural

light,” he added. “The ceilings will be incredible,

with stretched fabric, a reflective surface, and

recessed lighting.”

To the north will be the ballroom andmeet-

ing rooms – about 4,000 square feet in all. To

the south: the restaurant and bar. The latter

connects to the outdoor patio, just the venue

for a cocktail.

Bosquez called the dining room “a pretty

special space” with a huge skylight, a wine wall

and a stunning view of Broadway.

The best seat in the house will be on the

hotel’s southeast corner – the prow that juts

out over the sidewalk. “This is something that

has not been created in Denver yet,” touted

Bosquez. “It’s our signature table.”

The views from the guest rooms on the fifth

through ninth floors soar even more, look-

ing out over the art museum and downtown

and extending to the Rockies on the horizon.

“There’s a lot of dynamic views that were spe-

cific to this site,” said Lear, noting that the ar-

chitecture aims to complement the sights that

can be seen from the enviable location. “The

design is absolutely connected to the outside

everywhere.”

Bosquez said that the rooms’ views are com-

plemented by the interior design. “We’ve got

casework that is different than a typical hotel,”

he noted. “Ours is integrated into the architec-

ture of the room. It’s really subtle, but it’s very

hard to get accomplished.”

Other details include pen lights above the

exterior doors and quartz countertops, tiled

niches and custom shelving in the bathrooms.

Also of note are the suites, one on each floor,

featuring balconies above Broadway.

Then there’s the hotel’s namesake. “Our art

collection will be at the same level as the Den-

ver Art Museum,” said Bosquez. “Every floor

will have a signature piece of art, whether it’s

commissioned or from our art collection.” The

rooms on each floor will feature prints from

the same artist.

Former DAM curator Dianne Vanderlip is

handling the hotel’s collection.

A flagship project

The ART is a huge project for the city, the

street and the Cultural Center Complex, not to

mention the firms behind the hotel.

“This is one of our absolutely marquee proj-

ects for our company,” said Bosquez. “We have

gone to great extents to pick everything out.

Everybody has put their heart and soul into it.”

The Cincinnati-based firmhas had a Colora-

do presence since 2000. Bosquez has been with

the company since 2012 and is currently also

working on the Hyatt hotel and conference

center in Aurora and a number of office proj-

ects in the metro area.

Davis Partnership Architects’ roots in Denver

date back to 1892, and its fingerprints are all

over the city. “For Davis Partnership, it’s an im-

portant building,” said Lear. “It’s the last phase

of a project we’ve beenworking on for 15 years.”

But it all comes back to filling that blackhole

with a building that’s very much necessary, he

added. “It’s also an important project for Broad-

way, making the urban fabric complete.”

Rendering by

Davis Partnership

Photo by Terry Shapiro

The ART will be

completed in April.

ABOVE:

Rendering of

The ART, a hotel

PROJECT TEAM

DEVELOPER:

Corporex Colordo

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:

Haselden

ARCHITECT/

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:

Davis Partnership

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:

Martino & Luth