A structure built more than 50 years ago in Denver and deemed worthy of saving by some local preservationists will soon be facing the wrecker’s ball.
Located at 123 Speer Boulevard, the 5-story structure has served for years as the home to television station KMGH and sits on a just-over 2-acre lot.
The owner of the building, Scripps Media, is hoping to sell the building to the New York-based Property Markets Group, which, in turn, wants to level the structure in order to make way for the construction of new apartments.
Scripps Media, which owns KMGH, has said that it wants to move the television studio to another location with more space. In a public statement, Dean Littleton, the general manager of the station, described the structure as “dark, disjointed, inefficient, and terribly expensive to maintain.”
Earlier, the City of Denver’s Planning Department said that the building might be regarded as an important example of the Brutalist architectural style in buildings that was particularly popular from the 1950s to 70s.
The movement typically saw concrete-heavy structures, often used as government offices, that were known for their monolithic appearances and block-like style.
Members of a Denver City Council committee approved an application for preserving the structure in late April, with the larger council then tasked with approving an ordinance designating the building as worthy of landmark status.
The council has now voted against the landmark designation.
When the building will be demolished and work on the new apartment project is launched has not yet been announced.
By Garry Boulard
