In a city adjusting to a post-pandemic reality, two historic Denver landmarks are pivoting from their original purposes to address the pressing need for housing. In downtown Denver, the Petroleum Club Building, with its view of the State Capitol, is slated to become 178 market-rate apartments. Conversely, the Downtown Denver YMCA, a community mainstay for over a century and a half, will soon offer affordable housing units.
The Petroleum Club Building, standing since the 1950s and once the tallest building in the city, symbolizes both Denver's growth and its history within the oil and gas industry. With nearly one-third of downtown office spaces left vacant, owner Tim Borst aims to repurpose the building by investing $67 million into its conversion. Alex Garrison, design director at Gensler, detailed the focus on preserving the "urban fabric of Denver" and the building's history while adapting to a "new use," in an interview with CBS News Colorado. Despite the added costs associated with plumbing, electrical, and mechanical work in such conversions, the project is supported by the Downtown Development Authority and state and federal historic tax credits.
At the same time, the Downtown Denver YMCA's impending closure ushers in a new era for the establishment. According to reports from What Now Denver and Denver7, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless will transform the YMCA building to meet the dire need for affordable housing in the area. The coalition had already purchased and managed several housing units within the YMCA since 2001, acknowledging the significant gap as Denver records only 25 affordable units available for every 100 low-income households.
Members and staff of the soon-to-be-closed YMCA are promised alternative fitness options and reassignment to other branches within Denver. This is a particular concern for longtime members like Mike Miller, who lamented the loss of convenience but expressed no surprise at the decision, revealing that the "downtown lack of office workers... that was a big source of their membership, and they've lost a lot of that," according to Denver7.
