As the last urban infill spot on a downtown Denver block of registered historic buildings, finding the right “fit” for the Hyatt Centric was central to our planning process. Our team underwent extensive research of Denver’s Historic Civic and Entertainment Districts, as well as a detailed study of the individual buildings immediately adjacent to the site. The result was a design with two distinct facades that draw heavily from the massing, rhythm and architectural expressions that have dominated the neighborhood’s skyline over the past century.

While drawing from the influences and context of the past, the design of the facade is decidedly modern in its expression and materials. The crisp detailing and modern material selections create a tailored design that fits seamlessly into its context along Denver’s historic Champa Street.

With the many challenges inherent in an urban infill plot, the massing of the stories, rhythms of bays, windows and screens were carefully designed to complement the building’s context. Many of the hotel’s noteworthy elements—whether the angling metal panels, deconstructed columns of the curtain wall, or the patterns in the porte-cochère concrete—explore the unique possibilities of the building materials. Just as the adjacent, historic buildings are witness to their respective times, the Hyatt Centric was designed to bear witness to its own era of modern craftsmanship.