Every month, LIFE will provide answers to the community’s burning questions about new and ongoing developments. If there is a pile of dirt you’re curious about, or if you want to know how much longer your street parking will be sacrificed during construction, email Stacey McDole at capitolhill303@gmail.com. She’ll do the investigation for you and report back.

Cathedral High School (“Ace Hotel”) – 1840, 1835 Grant St.

Cathedral High School and the Oscar Malo, Jr. Memorial Hall exemplify how Historic Denver, Inc.’s relentless pursuit for preservation is a worthwhile cause. In response to an application for non-historic status back in 2011, both Historic Denver Inc. and Colorado Preservation, Inc., submitted designation applications on 1840 and 1835 Grant St. Because of that endeavor and a stand-down from the developer, these buildings still exist.

The Spanish Renaissance Revival style high school and convent was constructed in 1921 by architect Charles J. Dunn. It was visited by Mother Teresa, housed Sisters, served as a homeless shelter and spent eight years boarded up.

OZ Architecture and New York City-based developer GFI Development Company will convert the two buildings into a new boutique hotel. The surface parking lot will, unfortunately, go away—a much-needed amenity for the dense North Capitol Hill neighborhood—and be replaced with a new 11-story tower. The school and tower will house the hotel rooms, while Malo Hall will be a unique space open to the community.

“Adaptive reuse such as this is the perfect way to retain Denver’s historic buildings during this period of unprecedented growth, while still creating the infrastructure we need as a city, including more hotel rooms,” said Rebecca Stone, managing principal for OZ Architecture and lead architect on the hotel project.

For more information about this project, visit ozarch.com or gficap.com.

Tammen Hall – 19th Avenue and Ogden Street

Construction is slated to begin during the second quarter of 2018 at Tammen Hall on the Saint Joseph Hospital campus. The 52,000-square foot building, originally named after the original Denver Post publisher Harry Tammen, will become much needed affordable housing for low-income residents 62 years and older.

“The building will fill a gap in the housing continuum. Currently many seniors in the neighborhood are living on fixed incomes and must leave the neighborhood to find senior affordable housing,” says Kurt Frantz, development manager for MGL Partners/Solvera Advisors.

The developers MGL Partners/Solvera Advisors and architects and general contractor, the Neenan Company, hope to have the project completed by the second quarter of 2019. The teams are dedicated to keeping the integrity of the building, from its terrazzo floors to the gargoyles adorning its exterior.

The building was landmarked in 2005 when the building was the Children’s Hospital administrative and medical offices. The hospital moved in 2007 to the Fitzsimmons campus in Aurora. Tammen Hall has been vacant since.

“The project repurposes and activates a significant historic building located in Central Denver that has been vacant and boarded up for over 10 years,” says Frantz.

The eight-story building, built in 1930, will house 49 one-and two-bedroom apartments and an eighth-floor deck facing the skyline and mountains. Close to shopping and public transportation, the complex will allow seniors to live independently.

“This project will allow some seniors to remain in their neighborhood and age in place,” Frantz says.

Intersection of Colfax Avenue/Franklin Street/Park Avenue – pedestrian crossing

Drivers may notice a significant change at this intersection, and it’s for good reason. Nonprofits WalkDenver and Denver Vision Zero are working to make pedestrian crossing safer in high traffic areas. According to the Denver Police Department, one biker and 14 pedestrians were killed in traffic-related deaths. Vision Zero and WalkDenver want these numbers to be zero.

In that effort, several intersections in Denver’s busiest arterials will be modified to give walkers and bikers “pedestrian islands” to rest when walking wide intersections and flex posts to slow drivers down.

“Colfax is part of Denver's "High Injury Network"—the five percent of the streets where 50 percent of traffic fatalities occur. The intersection with Franklin and Park is particularly dangerous, especially for people walking,” said Jill Locantore, associate director of WalkDenver.

Locantore says there are two reasons for this. First, the design of Colfax encourages people to drive fast, which increases the likelihood and severity of crashes. Secondly, because people must cross five lanes of traffic to get from one side of Colfax to the other, they are exposed to danger for a long time. With just paint and flex posts, the City has addressed the key safety issues at this intersection.

“Subjectively, as someone who regularly walks through that intersection, the changes have made it feel much safer,” Locantore continues. “We are looking forward to seeing over time how crash rates compare before and after the changes.”

For more information on their projects, visit walkdenver.org and denvergov.org.