The Lawrence Group Completes Historic Renovation
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$12.8M project transforms downtown YMCA into low-income housing complex
The Lawrence Group has completed the $12.8 million renovation of the Renaissance at Civic Center Apartments for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Rhoads Construction Inc. was the general contractor for the design-assist project. Formerly the downtown YMCA, the seven-floor, 132,000-sq-ft low-income housing complex contains 216 fully modernized units with private kitchen and toilet facilities, as well as new office space to accommodate social service programs. The original building - portions of which have been retained by the YMCA - housed both traditional exercise and hotel facilities and contained 189 dormitory-style residential units with shared toilets and no kitchen amenities.
The adjacent annex building, built in 1958 as a contemporary athletic facility, was also completely renovated to accommodate additional low-income units. The swimming pool, gymnasium and racquet courts were converted to residential space with special care to preserve historic details.
The challenge was in transforming many portions of the interior to serve new functions while keeping the historical condition of the building intact," said Josh Comfort, principal of The Lawrence Group, which provided architectural design, construction administration and interior design services.
The CCH acquired the YMCA buildings - located at 25 E. 16th Avenue in 2001. Renovations began shortly there after. Construction was intricately broken into five phases to accommodate existing residents and allow continued use of the YMCA's exercise operations while new facilities were under construction. The Lawrence Group coordinated the acquisition of historic tax credits retained for the renovation of the original building, built in 1906 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Lawrence Group is a St. Louis-based architectural, interior design and planning firm with network offices in Denver, Austin, New York City and Charlotte. Named in the "Top 100 Giants" by Interior Design magazine, the firm offers services to health care, residential and commercial clients, and is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the U.S. Green Building Council.
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