The place:
The project was initiated in 1987, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration asked the General Services Administration to consolidate NOAA Boulder and Denver research laboratories, operational centers and offices into one facility. NOAA's divisions along the Front Range were then housed in obsolete and inadequate leased space in multiple locations, including the Weather Forecast Office located near the old airport in Denver.
- The building is located on the 205-acre Department of Commerce (DOC) campus at 325 Broadway in Boulder, Colorado.
- Under an agreement with the city of Boulder to construct the NOAA facility, the DOC agreed that approximately 50 percent of the acreage of the DOC campus will remain undeveloped under an irrevocable easement to the city.
- The portion of the campus between Broadway and Anderson Ditch, and south of Lawrence Road is protected by an agreement with tribal nations.
- The building is designed for 236,500 square feet to be occupied included in 372,000 gross square feet.
- The building is 900 feet long, and varies from about 110 to 165 feet wide. It is made up of four "blocks" separated by three "core areas." The main entrance is located on the west side of the central core.
- The building features three floors above grade, and is 43 feet high along the majority of its roofline. A fourth level of the building is dug out one level below ground. The north and south cores are higher - 22 feet above the roofline -- to house mechanical equipment rooms (elevator motors, heating system boilers and fans, etc.).
- A parking lot on the west side of the building features 600 parking spaces.
- NOAA employs over about 1,000 personnel in the Boulder area.
- The construction contract for the Skaggs Research Center was awarded on September 24, 1996, to Hensel Phelps Construction Company of Greeley, Colorado, with a two-year construction schedule for completion of the building.
- The architect for the NOAA building was C.W. Fentress J.H. Bradburn and Associates of Denver, architects for many well known buildings including Denver International Airport.
- The total cost of the building was $61.5 million, including $52.5 million appropriated by congressional action in 1989 and 1992 to the General Services Administration to design and build the building, and $9 million contributed by NOAA for scientific and technical additions.
- Reddish stone on the outside of the Skaggs Research Center was quarried near Lyons, Colorado. (from (
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The person:
"Skaggs was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but grew up in the New Jersey suburbs of New York City. He attended Wesleyan University, and after earning his degree in Philosophy in 1964, went on to Yale University, from which he received his Bachelor of Laws in 1967. Following graduation, Skaggs spent three years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, including service in Vietnam with the 1st Marine Division and assignments on Okinawa and at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC. Upon discharge from active duty in 1971, he remained in the Marine Reserves until 1978, attaining the rank of Major. Skaggs practiced law briefly in New York City and, after military service, in Boulder, CO.
Skaggs first became involved in politics as a Democratic Party volunteer and officer in 1971. In 1974, he was hired as an aide to United States Representative Timothy Wirth of Colorado, a position he held until 1977. He ran successfully for a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives in 1980, and he served three terms—two as Minority Leader—before running for Congress. Skaggs was a six-term member of the United States House of Representatives and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996.
While in the House, he served initially on the Science, Space & Technology Committee and the Public Works & Transportation Committee, before winning a seat on the Appropriations Committee in 1991. He also served six years (1993–99) on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. During his tenure in office, Skaggs became a voice for civility in politics. He and Representative Ray LaHood were founding co-chairs of the House Bi-Partisan Retreat, first held in 1997 and designed to encourage civility and comity in the House; the retreats continued through 2003. He was also co-founder of the Constitutional Forum (with Representative Jim Leach), a series of seminars with distinguished guest lecturers who led member discussions of constitutional issues. During the 104th Congress, Skaggs was Chairman of the Democratic Study Group, the principal policy and reform organization of House Democrats.
Skaggs had a strong environmental record while in Congress. During his tenure in office, he sponsored 42 bills, three of which were successfully enacted, including the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993, legislation that designated certain lands in the State of Colorado as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Skaggs also co-sponsored the Energy Act of 1992 that, among other things, amended utility laws to increase clean energy use and improve overall energy efficiency in the United States and mandated installation of low flush toilets in all new homes. Additionally, Skaggs was a co-sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, outlawing discrimination based on disability.
Notwithstanding his efforts to uphold civility and restore bipartisan comity to the House, Skaggs was often criticized for being partisan and voting along party lines. Though he was well known for his liberal voting record, he was a strong opponent both of the presidential line-item veto, once suing to block it, and President Clinton's use of military force without congressional approval. In 1992, Skaggs found himself at the center of controversy, coming under fire for his overdrafts from the so-called House bank." (from (
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