Life on Capitol Hill – May 2015

Page 1

Life on Capitol Hill Capitol Hill • Cheesman Park • City Park West • Congress Park • Uptown • Alamo Placita

Country Club • Cherry Creek North • South City Park • The Golden Triangle

M AY 2 0 1 5

20th Anniversary Denver Central Library The story of how it came to be By Caroline Schomp

I

t’s amazing to consider that famed architect Michael Graves and local architect Brian Klipp never met before they teamed up to design Denver’s Central Library, which opened 20 years ago this spring. Graves, who died in March, was a prolific designer of buildings – more than 350 all over the world. He also was a sought after industrial and product designer, including such mundane objects as teakettles and bottle openers for retailers such as Target. After a spinal infection left him paralyzed in 2003, he turned his talents to designing products to help the disabled and other items utilized in hospitals. Throughout Graves’ fifty-plus-year career he also taught architecture at Princeton University. When Graves’ body of work is reviewed, however, the Denver Public Library project is often mentioned as an example of why he is considered a titan of post-modernism. And why local architect Brian Klipp considers that project one of the most exciting of his own career as well. Denver voters gave three-to-one approval in 1990 for a $91.6 million bond issue. As Klipp describes it, his firm – now gkkworks and then Klipp, Colussy, Jenks, DuBois – was planning an entry in the design competition whose winner would get the DPL job. Local firms paired with internationally known firms. Their team’s celebrity firm withdrew three weeks before the initial submissions were due. Klipp assumed the opportunity was dead and left town. “I got a call from my office with 10 days left (on the submission deadlines). Michael Graves had called and wanted to team. We’d never met them and they hadn’t met us.” They had to throw something together quickly. Graves came in See LIBRARY on page 3

Is Home-Share the Next Car Share? Zoning changes to allow short-term rentals headed to city council…someday.

CENTRAL LIBRARY, old and new artfully melded together in a beautiful, yet functional design. PHOTO BY JEFF HERSCH

Denver Botanic Gardens Events for Spring & Summer Wide variety of themed events and exhibits By Christa T. Palmer

A

re you looking forward to all that nature has to offer during the spring and summer? If so, you can take advantage of many local programs right here in Denver. There are a wide variety of events at the Denver Botanic Gardens, everything from concerts to plant sales. The annual Spring Plant Sale takes place Fri. & Sat., May 8 - 9, 8 am - 5pm. This is the Garden’s largest plant sale featuring more than 10 plant divisions including annuals,

perennials, hanging baskets, container gardens, aquatics and more. This year’s sale focuses on pollinator-attracting plants. Admission to the sale is free. Bring your own wagon so you can transport your plants. You can also receive one-on-one advice from the Garden’s horticulture staff. The Spring Plant Sale Pre Preview will take place Thurs., May 7, 4-8 pm. Tickets are $45 and attendees will enjoy a leisurely shopping experience with complimentary appetizers, wine and beer. Tickets are available on

the Garden’s website a botanicgardens.org. Tickets for the Summer Concert Series are on sale now. Featured artists include Boz Scaggs, Melissa Etheridge, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, Culture Club, Keb’ Mo’, Ziggy Marley, Yes + Toto and several other acts. A full schedule is available on the website. “Unwind: Thursday is the new Friday” summer event series will return this year with three events. Thursday dates See DBG on page 12

By J. Patrick O’Leary

N

ow that the state legislature has allowed (and regulated) car sharing through apps like Uber and Lyft, a City Council task force is exploring doing the same for Internet-enabled shortterm home sharing. Although renting out a home or room for less than 30 days in residential zones is not allowed under Denver zoning, hundreds are advertised on sites like VRBO.com, HomeAway. com and Airbnb.com. A draft discussion document on how to allow and regulate shortterm rentals – Draft Zoning Approach for Short-term Rentals in Residential Zone Districts – is being circulated among neighborhood organizations and discussed at Council’s Sharing Economy Task Force meetings. The paper and public comment will be used in drafting a possible text amendment to the zoning code, although it may be six months or longer before it reaches a vote in Council, according to District 5 City Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman, who chairs the task force. The first step, if the city chooses to regulate, is to make a text amendment to the current zoning code, Susman explained. “The planning office said the best place to make the change is under Home Occupations, because room and boarding is allowed there… we would change that to allow (rentals of) less than 30 days,” she said. But unlike other home occupations currently allowed, a permit would be required. “If we want to add other regulations, such as insurance requirements, smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors, we don’t know if that will be part of permitting, or something from Excise and License,” she said. See SHORT-TERM on page 2

DENVER BOTANIC TULIPS, the early risers of spring display their luxurious colors for all to admire at the garden. PHOTO BY JEFF HERSCH

lifeoncaphill.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.