Schedule:
1:00–4:00 pm, Friday, October 8

Field Session:
Voorhies Memorial, Greek Theater and Balustrade Wall
The Voorhies Memorial and Greek Theater were built in 1919 of Colorado’s unique Turkey Creek sandstone. The Voorhies Memorial was designed by William E. and Arthur A. Fisher of Denver. The Greek Theater was designed by Marean and Norton of Denver. Civic Center Park’s importance as one of the premier examples of early 20th century City Beautiful art and architecture in the United States is recognized by its listing on the National Register of Historic Places and its inclusion in the Civic Center Historic District, a Denver Landmark District. These structures have recently undergone an extensive restoration program.

The tour will include a discussion with five APT Rocky Mountain Chapter members involved in this complex memorial and park restoration project. Andrews and Anderson and JVA were the lead designers, Spectrum General Contractors, Building Restoration Specialists Inc (masons) and SLATERPAULL Architects are involved in the design-build implementation of the project. The tour will touch on the complexities of schedule which led to a custom-designed enclosure system to perform the masonry restoration work during the heart of winter, the difficulty of matching a unique Colorado building stone that is no longer quarried, and discuss the philosophy applied to the various restoration strategies throughout the park.

Capitol Dome
The Colorado State Capital Building was designed by E. E. Myers and constructed between 1886 and 1908. The two-tier drum, dome, and lantern rise to a height of 272 feet above the surrounding Civic Center Park. The gold leaf dome is 42 feet in diameter, and the lantern is topped with a four-foot diameter glass globe.

Recently, WJE provided specialized architectural conservation services for the evaluation of the dome. The assessment included the cast iron cladding materials at the drum and lantern, copper cladding, wood and steel windows, and the gold leaf on the copper clad dome. Work performed as part of the assessment included:

• An evaluation of cast iron elements including close-up examination of the dome and drum using industrial rope access and analysis of laboratory testing;
• Coating studies including close-up visual examination, field testing, and laboratory analysis of the gold leafed copper dome as well as painted sheet metal and cast iron elements;
• An evaluation of the dome and drum fenestration; and
• Prioritized recommendations for remedial repairs to address observed deterioration of cast iron elements, coatings, and windows.

Security allowing, the field session may include access to the observation deck level. Otherwise, the building will be observed from the exterior and photographs used to illustrate the various material concerns. Discussion will include the condition assessment of the various materials including the cast iron structure.

The City and County Building
Denver's city hall, the City and County Building, balances the Colorado State Capitol to the east and is the greatest monument of Mayor Robert Speer’s (1916–1918) City Beautiful. Conceived as part of the original Robinson Plan of 1906, it took 26 years to build (1932) and incorporates the design efforts of 39 leading local architects. The Beaux-Arts Neoclassical façade has three-story Corinthian entry columns of travertine atop a grand staircase and massive bronze doors. Upper walls are Stone Mountain, Georgia, granite. Eleven varieties of marble are featured inside this impressive home to mayor, city council and other municipal offices. In the main entry lobby, works by Denver artist Susan Cooper depict Denver’s architectural heritage. Despite charges of bad taste, the City and County building has been decorated riotously with colored lights every holiday season since 1832.

The field session will include a discussion with the architects who have been working on various restoration projects over the past 15 years at the building. Discussion will center on the analysis done to determine the appropriate window repair strategy as well as the possibility of observing in-progress work on waterproofing and masonry restoration (project progress dependent). 

The field session will also walk by such prominent Denver buildings as the Denver Mint, the 1910 Carnegie library, City Hall Annex I (now the Wellington Webb Building) and various monuments and sculptures along the route.

Guides:
Nan Anderson, Andrews and Anderson, Denver, CO, USA
Daniel Gach, WJE, Lakewood, CO, USA
Edward Gerns, WJE, Chicago, IL, USA
Rhonda Maas, Building Restoration Specialists, Denver, CO, USA
Gary Petri, SLATERPAULL Architects (or staff), Denver, CO, USA
Joel Sydlow, Spectrum General Contractors, Denver, CO, USA
 

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the philosophy applied to the various restoration strategies throughout Civic Center Park.
• Identify the complexities of the project which led to a custom designed enclosure system to perform the masonry restoration work.
• Identify the material properties and repair mechanisms for cast iron structure.

Field Session Coordinator:
Melanie Short, SLATERPAULL ARCHITECTS, Denver, CO, USA