Denver Hilton (now Sheraton) Hotel - Denver, CO
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Outspoken1
N 39° 44.509 W 104° 59.393
13S E 500866 N 4399102
This is the only surviving building of 'Courthouse Square' in downtown Denver, Colorado, USA. The hotel is now part of the Downtown Sheraton complex.
Waymark Code: WMN76F
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 01/09/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member razalas
Views: 3

"Courthouse Square - Denver, Colorado; Completed 1960

Lead Designers: I. M. Pei

Mixed-use complex with 22-story deluxe hotel with convention facilities, 4-story department store, public plaza / skating rink and 4-level underground garage

Courthouse Square is the first major development in any American city to combine a hotel, department store, parking and public space. An innovative application of new materials, structural methods and modernist design in nineteenth-century Denver, it was the second of three projects executed by the firm in a coordinated effort to develop the modern city core.

The block-long hotel is a pioneering venture in precast concrete. It incorporates aggregate excavated from the site in deep Mo-Sai grillwork that changes pattern with interior spaces, shading not only guestrooms but also office and retail — spaces not typically associated with hotels in the late 1950s. The red-brown panels complement neighboring buildings and distant mountains. They simultaneously contrast with the metal curtain walls championed at the time, including the innovative aluminum panels of the adjacent May D&F department store, which were designed for replacement by large glazing units whenever additional display windows were required. A 132' x 113' hyperbolic paraboloid, the country's widest concrete shell, housed additional retail, exhibition space and the store's main entrance.

Interconnected by bridges and walks organized around a sunken garden and skating rink (converted for outdoor summer dining), the complex was designed to enliven downtown with inviting spaces to work, play, shop, dine, socialize and enjoy urban life.

Major Components

Hotel
1,008,955 s/f with 884 guest rooms (280,000 s/f); 49,000 s/f retail; 40,000 s/f offices; Studio / Support: 28,000 s/f; 16,000 s/f main lobby; 11,000 s/f dining; 10,000 s/f ballroom (2,000 capacity); 5,300 s/f exhibit hall

Department store (Demolished)
504,000 s/f including 250,000 s/f sales areas; 13,000 s/f offices; 10,000 s/f rental; 4,000 s/f beauty salon
Skating Rink / Plaza
7,000 s/f
Parking
420,000 s/f for 1,500 cars on 4 levels underground

Awards

1995 - American Institute of Architects, Colorado Chapter: 25 Year Award (for Denver Hilton Hotel)


1961 - American Institute of Architects: National Honor Award (for Denver Hilton Hotel)


1959 - American Institute of Architects: National Honor Award (for May D&F Department Store [Demolished])

I. M. Pei & Associates services - Master Planning; Architectural Design; Interior Design of public spaces" (from (visit link) )
Architect: I. M. Pei

Prize received: UIA Gold Medal

In what year: 2014

Website about the Architect: [Web Link]

Website about the building: [Web Link]

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