MITHŪN

Overview

REI’s Denver Flagship store responds to the historical industrial nature of its building and site –for more than 50 years, furnaces in the building burned coal to generate electricity for Denver’s streetcar system. Much of the landmark’s structure was left intact, requiring restoration of nearly 75,000 square feet of the building’s brick walls, and utilizing its steel structure to support floors inserted within the building shell. Existing interior elements were kept as artifacts. The design team restored original wood windows and created historic replicas for pieces that had deteriorated. A landscaped courtyard and store entry extends a public park system, creating adjacencies to major bike routes and a whitewater kayak course where shoppers can test paddling products.

Awards

2002
Award for Excellence, “Small-Scale Rehabilitation”, Urban Land Institute

2001
Top Ten Green Projects, American Institute of Architects (AIA)/COTE
National Preservation Honor Award, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Downtown Denver Award, Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc.
National Register of Historic Places

2000
Award of Merit, “Specialty Store, Sales Area Over 10,000 sq. ft.”, International Store Design Awards, Institute of Store Planners and Visual Merchandising and Store Design
State Honor Award, Colorado Preservation, Inc.

1971
City of Denver Landmark