A decision by the Landmark Preservation Commission to require some of the windows in the historic Fontius building to be restored may cost developer Evan Makovsky his lead tenant.
The commission voted Tuesday to require windows facing the 16th Street Mall to be restored. It will allow Makovsky to replace windows on the building’s Welton Street side.
Makovsky has a potential tenant that would occupy the top three floors of the four-story building. He said the deal is contingent on economics, including energy efficiency, and that the issue surrounding the windows could derail it.
Makovsky declined to say who the tenant is.
Makovsky acquired the Fontius building from owner Gary Cook and his family, who had long been criticized for letting the building fall into disrepair. The building is viewed as a crucial bridge between the 16th Street Mall and the Colorado Convention Center.
Replacing the windows would increase energy efficiency for heating by 24 percent and for cooling by 10 percent, said Maria Cole of the Denver architecture firm klipp. Over the course of a 10-year lease, that translates into a savings of about $350,000 more than if the windows were restored.
“It’s as much a social issue as it is a preservation issue,” said Brian Klipp, principal of the architecture firm.
Upfront costs for restoring and replacing the windows are about the same, but maintenance for the restored windows would be more expensive.
But commission members argued that windows are among the most important aspects to historic preservation.
“There are resources in existing windows that cannot be replaced,” said architect Dennis Humphries, a commission member.
Staff writer Margaret Jackson can be reached at 303-954-1473 or mjackson@denverpost.com.
