denver's office-friendly river north art district to get yet one more office

Spurred by the $41 million upgrade of N. Brighton Boulevard, new office and commercial space projects have seen construction in the last two years up and down the four-lane thoroughfare.

Now, a new 10-story office building may soon be going up at the site of one of the last small businesses on the street: the Do-It-Ur-Self plumbing supply store in the 3100 block of Brighton.

Although the name of the project’s developer has not yet been publicly revealed, the new building will include nearly 9,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, with 325,000 square feet of office space on floors two through ten.

The remaining upper two floors on the 1.8-acre site will taper off to around 80,000 square feet.

Also to be included in the project is parking space for just over 600 vehicles that will be built to the rear of the structure on floors one through five.

The upgrading of Brighton, which has included the addition of two lanes and new street lights and sidewalks, has spurred up to $61 million in new residential and commercial construction in the area, according to city officials.

The one-story Do-It-Ur-Self structure, which was built in 1949, houses a building that was once a machinery shop, becoming a plumbing supply business in the early 1970s.

The structure, which will be demolished to make way for the new 10-story project, is the last such older building of its kind on a street that is now dominated by new multi-story complexes.  

Although an initial development proposal for the project has been submitted to the city, a construction schedule remains to be announced.

Formerly a district largely made up of manufacturing plants, garages, and warehouses, the River North Art District, popularly known as RiNo, has become one of the most popular sections of Denver with restaurants, coffee shops, and art galleries contributing to a lively street scene.  

By Garry Boulard

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