CREJ

22 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2018 Steam on the Platte: Susan Powers Has a New Vision S usan Powers leaves an- other mark on Denver’s community with her re-vision of a three-story brick warehouse turned hip office space. You’ve probably seen the building as you motor along south bound Interstate 25. It’s easily seen on the west side of I-25 near Eighth Avenue. It was the kind of building that had been overlooked for decades and easily could have deteriorated, but Susan Powers and her partners had a vi- sion to create a new energy point in the Sun Valley neighborhood. True to her conviction, Steam on the Platte blends a community focus and an environmental connection to the Platte River. Breathing a new life for a former textile recycling building with a unique story and industrial artifacts plus a site development vi- sion that includes a brewery and multifamily housing. How did this vision begin? Susan Powers: I ride my bicycle along the Platte River trail and when the trail was under construc- tion, I was diverted along Zuni Street. I noticed the building and thought what a great opportunity it was. It’s unusual to see a century-old multistory brick-and-timber warehouse of this size that had not been renovated. Once on the site, I saw it had Joy Spatz, AIA Principal, Studio Collaborative Leading the Way Steam on the Platte