A push is on to secure state funding for the upgrading of one of the oldest buildings on the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado.
Located at 1475 Central Campus Mall, the Guggenheim Building was completed in 1909 and served for half a century as the university’s law school before becoming the Guggenheim Geography Building.
Measuring nearly 23,000 square feet, the 2.5-story structure was designed in a neoclassical style by famed Denver architect James Murdoch and is regarded as one of the most historically important structures on the school’s campus.
According to school figures, the building, housing classrooms, and both workspace and office space accommodates per semester a combination of around one hundred students, faculty, and staff members.
Now university officials are making a pitch to the Colorado State Legislature for up to $19 million in funding to pay for remodeling work on the structure.
That work includes an extensive upgrading of the Guggenheim’s heating and cooling system, as well as a modernization of its electrical and fire alarm systems. Additional work will see new roofing.
In addition, a newly built fire escape measuring around 2,100 gross square feet will replace a current metal ladder running down the side of the building.
The total cost for the project has been pegged at $47.6 million, of which CU Boulder will put up $28.6 million.
Earlier reports have indicated that if funding is secured for the Guggenheim project, work might begin in 2025 or 2026.
By Garry Boulard
