Early last month, Mayor John Hickenlooper put his considerable energy and charisma on the line to persuade voters to approve a $378 million downtown Justice Center.
The mayor did everything right. He listened to:
The Urban Land Institute experts who told him to acquire the block west of the city-owned site – at Colfax and Delaware – to allow “optimal development of two separate buildings,” one for courts and one for pre-trial detention;
Neighborhood groups like the Golden Triangle, promising to attend to their concerns about safety, traffic and character;
The City Council, whose members insisted he add money for diversion and alternative sentencing;
The coalition of civic leaders who advocated and raised funds for a well-organized and targeted political campaign;
Savvy James Mejia, a consultant hired to understand the details of program, budget and site and to keep the whole complex process on track.
Now comes the tough part. The mayor must deliver on his promises. He agreed to hold a competition to select a team to design and build three dignified, beautiful and functional structures (courthouse, jail and parking garage) in the city’s most important civic district – all within what some consider to be a very tight budget.
The buildings should meet the vision of the newly adopted Civic Center District Plan. That plan – a 30-year framework for land use, urban design, transportation and parks – focuses on ensuring the district is linked to adjacent neighborhoods, the central business district, cultural assets and other government buildings with safe, comfortable connections and great urban design reflecting the prominence of Civic Center’s history, location and constituents.
The Urban Land Institute panel also cautioned that the new justice center “be designed as an extension of the existing civic space,” including a revised circulation plan, improved streetscape and better connections to the adjacent buildings, complexes and districts. The panel identified critical urban design elements that will determine how well the downtown center serves citizens and users; addresses neighborhood concerns and encourages economic development for the area. The institute emphasized strong pedestrian and transit corridors; the conversion of Gene Amole Way – formerly Elati – to open green space; and the strategic location of the 600-car garage.
The success of the new justice center and the Civic Center District depends more on a comprehensive, well-executed urban design scheme than on the addition of two look-at-me buildings.
Denver’s Civic Center is already graced with stunning architectural statements: Michael Graves’ 1995 central library; Geo Ponti’s 1971 art museum and the Daniel Libeskind addition opening in 2006; David Owen Tryba’s new municipal office building attached to Smith, Hegner, Moore and Musick’s 1949 City Hall Annex One. The Edward H. Bennett, S.R. DeBoer Civic Center is graced with statuary, monuments and enclosures designed by an assortment of famed sculptors and architects.
That’s in addition to the City and County Building, a collaboration of more than 30 local architects known as the Allied Architects Association; the State Capitol, designed by Elijah E. Myers and Frank E. Edbrooke; and an abundance of other civic structures.
Despite this collection, the Civic Center District is neither functionally nor physically coherent. For the public employee, museum visitor, library patron, pedestrian, visiting school kid, transit rider, tourist or driver, the accessibility, safety and connectivity of the Civic Center are fragmented and inadequate.
The Denver Justice Center will be the gateway to our most important civic district. Its form and function will impact the long-term viability of the Civic Center, the central business district, adjacent mixed-use neighborhoods and cultural venues for the next half-century.
Please, Mr. Mayor, take another few months to do what you’ve done so well. Listen and learn from the experts – urban designers, architects and criminal justice specialists. You have the opportunity to craft a stunning necklace for the region’s crown jewels. Before you buy two more star sapphires, consider reinforcing the links.
Susan Barnes-Gelt (bs13@qwest.net) served eight years on the Denver City Council and was an aide to former Denver Mayor Federico Peña. Her column appears on alternate Thursdays.
