is an easy concept to embrace but a hard challenge to master.
The annual event, which invites the public into the city’s best buildings, has an obvious appeal to the more nosy among us, those people who “are really curious about all those places they drive by and go, ‘What’s inside of that?,’ ” as architecture writer puts it.
But DOD, as it’s called, is a lot to sort out. There are nearly 70 sites on the list this weekend, and the geography is vast — as far to the north and west as the Highlands Masonic Temple, at 35th Street and Federal Boulevard, and as far to the south and east as Denver Fire Station No. 18, near Alameda Avenue and Fairmount Drive.
There are old city landmarks, like LoDo’s Airedale Building and Capitol Hill’s Perrenoud Condominiums, and rehabbed newcomers, like The Temple in Curtis Park and in Jefferson Park.
There are buildings in the news, like Boettcher Concert Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. See it now, before it gets torn down.
There are also numerous ways to take in the event, including scores of guided tours of places like the Mayan Theatre on South Broadway, the new Triangle Building downtown and the .
And on top of all that, there some interesting sideshows, such as a world premiere of a play by Nolan Kelly at the Byers-Evans House, a Black Cube pop-up art exhibit in the La Alma/Lincoln Park Amphitheater and jazz concerts at Union Station, the event’s official headquarters.
That’s a lot choices, and this is where Chandler can really help. She’s the author of the exhaustive “Guide to Denver Architecture” and the former architecture critic at the Rocky Mountain News. These days she works as a marketing communications specialist at GH Phipps Construction Company.
DOD asks her to pick her favorites every year, and that seemed like a good list to enhance and spread around to Denver Post readers. For 2016, she chose a variety that includes projects old and new.
1. Fire Department Station No. 3, 2500 Washington St.
Architect: C. Francis Pillsbury.
The 1931, red-brick landmark “is the oldest Denver fire station still operating,” Chandler said. “It’s tucked into its neighborhood, and it just looks really homey.”
2. Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts, 1311 N. Pearl St.
Original architects: Maurice Biscoe and Henry Hewitt; Renovation: Chip Melick, Rachel Lawrence and Sarah Boulet
The museum complex, which includes painter Vance Kirkland’s original art studio, opened in 2003 and displays more than 3,900 pieces. “It’s so wonderfully luxurious in terms of the objects it contains,” Chandler said. The museum is closing for a move to the Golden Triangle next year, and Chandler wants “to remind people that May 1 is its last day of operation.”
3. Robischon Gallery/ S.H. Supply Co., 1732 Wazee St.
Architect: Unknown
The 1909 structure was a staple of Denver’s early days and is often overlooked for its historical importance. “It’s a not a fancy building, but it’s very much of its time,” Chandler said. The bonus for visitors is that it now houses one of the city’s most important contemporary art galleries.
4. Equitable Building, 730 17th St.
Architect: Andrews, Jaques & Rantoul
The Equitable, an ornate gem from 1892, is probably the most popular attraction on the annual DOD list. Everyone appreciates its detailed masonry and vaulted ceilings, including Chandler, a staunch modernist. “It’s my favorite building in Denver,” she admits.
5. RedLine, 2350 Arapahoe St.
Renovation architect: Semple Brown Design.
Chandler credits the Semple Brown team for its 2008 work transforming a “totally forgettable factory space” into one of Denver’s premiere centers for visual arts. There’s a large gallery, an elegant library and a dozen smaller studio spaces loaned out to artists free of charge.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540, rrinaldi@denverpost.com or @rayrinaldi
DOORS OPEN DENVER. The annual celebration of the city’s architecture takes place Saturday and Sunday, with most sites open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. A good place to start is Denver Union Station, the event’s headquarters. Details on locations, hours and tours are on the website. The building sites are free; tours require tickets.
