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'Signature' lost in plans

Mary Voelz Chandler, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 19, 2007 at midnight

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In late 2004 city officials stressed that design would be a driving force in the justice center project it wanted Denver voters to approve.

They also said voters could expect a "signature" building for the courthouse funded by $378 million in bonds for city court and jail facilities.

Well, Denver voters approved the bonds in 2005. But then began a process almost guaranteed to produce something less than signature:

• Divided ideas: The committee picked to select architects - one for the courthouse, one for the jail - had members torn between wanting something neo-modern and something neo-traditional, within a strict framework plan that leaned heavily toward the latter.

• Split decision: A compromise resulted with the selection of New York-based Steven Holl to design the courthouse, as a subcontractor to Denver-based klipp. Hartman-Cox Architects of Washington, D.C., was tabbed to create the jail with Denver's OZ Architecture. It seemed as if Denver would merely have two buildings with little to say to each other.

But then things went really awry, when the city pushed Holl off the project last fall. Officials claimed his proposals were way over budget, while Holl asserted the city was boosting the price by changing his materials. What was clear was that the city felt Holl was just another subcontractor, whose departure was not a problem.

Oh, to have a blog, for the correspondence between and among city departments and supervisory firms, Holl and klipp. Think of the worst job evaluation you've ever had, and multiply it by 10. It was that bad.

The courthouse job fell to klipp.

That brings us to today.

The old Rocky Mountain News building is finally almost gone, a slow process because the city allowed various rescue organizations to use it for training, and because a major implosion might damage the Mint.

The justice center project is about two years old, and about a month away from the final designs for the courthouse. Hartman-Cox's proposal for the jail has been solid for a long time, and design principal Lee Becker has said more than once he has designed a building to complement the courthouse - not compete with it.

More than one committee has weighed in on the courthouse, and though I'm no fan of design by committee, I have been to enough presentations on klipp's ever-evolving proposal to know that it has paid off in a more thoughtful design.

The facade facing toward Speer Boulevard is better, not just with stronger articulation (and now a sun screen) but with an actual entry.

The facade facing the plaza is better, with a soaring folded-plate-glass curtain wall curving around the building to embrace the plaza. A strip of glass peels off at the top, creating a different angle and a niche for a green roof/terrace. A strip of glass peels off at the bottom, creating a glass wall for the front of the jury assembly room.

Both architects have fought for stone. Both architects are cautious when they talk about budget, which 10 months ago was a crucial issue but which now seems to be merely something awaiting a final pricing by the general contractor - a firm without a final contract.

All that considered, the building by klipp is a good building, with the potential of being a really good building depending on detailing and workmanship. The jail is a solid neo-classical structure that is trying to be open - and still be a jail.

How well will they talk to each other? Holl's courthouse - or as much as we were able to see of it - was so different from Hartman-Cox's jail that it could have been either a strong dialogue or something totally lost in the noise.

Courthouse design principal Brian Klipp says there is no Holl in the design - a question the mayor apparently asked before I did - except for the emphasis on light.

The question remains: The klipp courthouse may become really good, but will it become great? I'm not just talking the power of a star's name here, but whether the design we finally see can overcome the strictures and challenges in place.

Signature, though? No. And for that, Denver voters should be cautious the next time they are asked to open their pockets for design.

The timeline

• May 3, 2005: Voters approve $378 million for a new courthouse, jail, post office/parking structures, and improvements to the jail on Smith Road.

• May 29, 2007: 100 percent design development documents on the courthouse due; the same type of documents for the jail were submitted this week.

• June 6: Planners go to the Denver City Council's safety committee seeking to extend Hensel Phelps' existing contract to allow them to buy stone.

• June 18: Demolition of Rocky Mountain News building completed to make way for eventual jail construction. When that demolition is done, buildings across Elati Street will be razed, except for the post office.

• June: The city will examine limestone from quarries in Indiana and Alabama to see how it looks in Denver's light, and solicit bids on who will provide the material for the project.

• June 21: Next version of courthouse design to be shown to Citizens Advisory Committee.

• August: Officials expect a firm price for construction of the courthouse and jail, after negotiations with Hensel Phelps on final contract.

• Mid-August: Post office moves to new structure, with building to be complete in September. Other tenants come later; old post office to be demolished.

• September: Begin excavation for jail and courthouse.

• January 2010: Courthouse and jail open.By the numbers

$115 million: Current cost quote for the jail.

$99.1 million: Current cost quote for the courthouse.

108 feet: Height limit for both buildings, based on Civic Center view plane.

35 Courtrooms in courthouse, though six will be "shelled" (built but not finished).

38 Parking spaces under courthouse for judges and magistrates.

1,500 Jail beds, in a variety of cell and dorm configurations.

$1.2 million Commission for major Percent for Art piece by Dennis Oppenheim.

$600,000 Amount for second phase of the justice center's Percent for Art program.

Mary Voelz Chandler is the art and architecture critic. or 303-954-2677.