The long-planned demolition of the Gates Rubber Complex near Interstate 25 and Broadway has begun, with contractors currently tearing down the Gates Creamery Building — a massive 400,000-square-foot brick and concrete structure.
Matt Wittern, project spokesman, said today that the demolition work, which will stretch to the end of the year, is being done from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in an effort to not disturb nearby residents.
“We want to be sensitive to the neighbors who have been very supportive of the project,” Wittern said.
The Gates redevelopment — Denver’s largest since Stapleton — is expected to cost more than $1 billion and take 10 to 15 years to complete. The project will include at least 1,500 residential units, 565,000 square feet of retail space and 200,000 square feet of office space.
The buildings on the south and west sides of the property must be razed before the development can begin.
On the south side, Wittern said Alpine Demolition is using machines to “chew” at the Creamery Building, which will slowly be demolished from top to bottom.
He added that the building presents a unique challenge because of the steel and concrete forklift bridge that connects it to the former Gates Rubber Factory to the north.
To remove the forklift bridge safely, the closure of West Mississippi Avenue between northbound Santa Fe Drive and South Broadway will be required. The specific closure date hasn’t been set, but it is expected to take place toward the end of the demolition of the Creamery Building in early October.
On the west side, the buildings located in the 700 and 900 blocks of South Santa Fe Drive and the 700 block of South Cherokee Street also are scheduled for demolition.
Fiore & Sons Inc., the contractor doing the razing, will have at the peak of demolition three crews working simultaneously to tear down 741,000 square feet of mainly concrete structures. The west side demolition is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Wittern said motorists should expect debris-hauling trucks to enter the traffic lanes from Arizona Avenue at South Broadway, as well as along northbound Santa Fe Drive between Arizona Avenue and I-25.
The development is bounded by Arizona on the south, South Broadway on the east, I-25 on the north and South Santa Fe Drive on the west. The property is bisected from north to south by a rail line and the RTD light-rail tracks.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
