Recently, Great Gulf partnered with The Kempe Foundation and their volunteer group, The Alliance, to host Fashion Fusion, a chic fashion show benefiting the the Kempe Foundation and The Kempe Center’s shared mission of awareness, advocacy and resources for the prevention and treatment of child abuse.

The event was just one of the many fundraisers during Kempe’s “Get Your Blue On” campaign. In honor of the month-long series, Nearly 100 Fashion Fusion attendees donned denim – but the fashion show was much, much more. Animal prints from Mariel, gorgeous sapphires from John Atencio, even a dog carrier for walks in the Colorado sunshine from Dog Savvy Boutique and Spa and the coup de tat, a 2-year old cowboy dressed in Cry Baby Ranch duds. Larimer Square merchants – just a few short steps away from 1401 Lawrence — supplied all the spring styles, and models included such local celebrities as event chairpersons Frances Owens, Former First Lady of Colorado and Gail Johnson, Kempe Foundation Board of Directors, CW2 meteorologist Jason Boyer and Kempe Foundation development officer Genia Larson.

After the fashion show, the nearly 100 attendees sipped mimosas and toured 1401 Lawrence’s stunning model unit.

Popularity: 5% [?]

The Downtown Denver Partnership’s Broker Bus Tour, was a great success, attracting 45 real estate brokers, journalists and representatives from the Downtown Denver Partnership. Tour guide Ken Schroeppel, of denverinfill.com noted that at least $3 billion in residential, commercial and public projects are either under way, planned or recently completed.

Dee Chirafisi, Kentwood City and broker for 1401 Lawrence noted, “We continue to see the downtown market attract buyers from all over the city and state.”

To read the full story in Denver’s Rocky Mountain News, click here.

Last week, Great Gulf hosted the LoDo District’s Board of Directors at the sales center at 1401 Lawrence. The Board gathered to say goodbye to the LoDo District’s Executive Director, Simone Howell Raarup, but also to say hello to their newest neighbor. Many on the Board of Directors hadn’t yet toured the stunning sales center, and commented on the contemporary design, rich interiors and positive impact on 14^th Street.

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Coming up:

The Kempe Foundation’s Alliance hosts “Fashion Fusion: A Casual Brunch with a Chic Fashion Show”
Tuesday, April 1, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Tickets: $15 available at
www.blacktiecolorado.com/rsvp enter event code: kempefashion

An Open House to celebrate our new address – 1401 Lawrence!
Thursday, April 3, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Unwind with food and spirits including sumptuous hors d’oeuvres from
The Capital Grille
RSVP to Kelly Rose at 303.436.1401 or kellyr@1401lawrence.com

Popularity: 33% [?]

On Thursday, March 13, 1401 Lawrence will sponsor a tour for approximately 50 real estate brokers from the Denver metro area in conjunction with the Downtown Denver Partnership and our neighbor Morton’s, The Steakhouse. It will be the first opportunity for many of the brokers to tour the 1401 Lawrence sales center.

What’s on the docket for these brokers? The chance to tour the 2,500 square foot model suite, which is based on the impeccably designed Indigo floor plan, just one of 25 floor plans available at 1401 Lawrence. They’ll see the sweeping views of the city that 1401 Lawrence owners will call their own, touch the many rich finishes available to their clients, see photos and renderings of the four star amenities featured at 1401 Lawrence and experience the contemporary design options created by Cecconi Simone.

1401 Lawrence is the first stop of many on the tour that will highlight 100 projects in the city center (residential & commercial) that are either planned, under construction or recently completed.

Despite negative press about the housing market, Denver’s downtown is booming, particularly, 14^th Street. In fact, Rich Grant, spokesman for the Denver Metro Convention Visitor’s Bureau, recently said, “Fourteenth Street is going to be one of the biggest streets in the city.” And the Denver Post recently reported that “during this construction boom, it’s the residential projects that will change Denver’s skyline.”

For those of you not scheduled for the tour, the sales center is open Monday through Saturday by appointment. Just call 303.436.1401 today!

Popularity: 39% [?]

We promised a fusion of art and architecture, and with our latest addition to the sales center of 1401 Lawrence, we’ve made good on the promise.

Recently we unveiled that present, a phenomenal Dale Chihuly glass sculpture — the first of its kind in Denver. The piece, visible within the elegant window facing 14^th Street, is a treat for the eye — and a taste of what is to come. Chihuly has been working with the 1401 Lawrence design team since the summer of 2007, creating what we call a fusion of art and architecture.

The piece currently on display in the sales center is from Chihuly’s most recent collection. The work is titled “Mille Fiori.” Mille Fiori is the Italian phrase for “a thousand flowers.” The result is a gleaming garden in stunning hues of red, yellow and orange.

Long admirers of Chihuly’s elegant sculpture, breathtaking installations and inspired collections, we approached his team early in the development of the building. Our architect, Peter Clewes, knew the building would use glass as its dominant design feature.

Chihuly, a native of Tacoma, Wash., has presented work throughout the world — from Jerusalem to Japan, London, France, Venice, even Iceland — and throughout the United States. His work on 1401 Lawrence, however, will be more than an installation, as he foresees a synthesis of his art and the building’s architecture. Art will encompass the total building experience — upon entering the lobby, out to the hallways, even in the elevator cabs. Peter Clewes describes it as a step back into the Renaissance, with artisanal works throughout the building, each embellishing the other.

To view the newest Chihuly installation, or any of the building’s unique design elements, readers can contact the sales center at 303.436.1401, or simply venture onto 14^th Street, where “Mille Fiori” and the building model are both in view – fusing art and architecture.

To hear more about artist Dale Chihuly from the design team, click on Team, then click on Dale Chihuly.

Popularity: 55% [?]

Our sales centre is open by appointment only - but we did want to share our holiday hours. We are closed Dec. 24, 25, and 31st as well as closed January 1st, 2008.

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday and brilliant new year!

Popularity: 54% [?]

It is always exciting to see posts about 1401 Lawrence - especially ones like Todd C’s Denver Modern Homes & Architecture Blog that call us “Denver’s newest, tallest, hippest, coolest, modern…est high rise is in the earliest stages of construction”. Technically, we are not in construction but deep in planning - with a sales centre open to registrants before the new year and to the public in 2008.

Popularity: 56% [?]

Just before Thanksgiving, we treated media and the Denver brokerage community to a view of our stunning sales center, which will now be open to our VIP registrants for an OPEN HOUSE event on Sunday, December 9th, 12 noon - 5pm.

The sales center is also is now open by appointment to interested parties. Designed by Anna Simone as a taste of what is to come, the center is a feast of small details and grand design.

For those of you who haven’t seen it, a little tour….

Walk through the doors into a lavishly designed lobby, past the computerized touch screens that show off the views from each floor, and through the 10-foot entry door and into the model suite.

Immediately you look through the floor-to-ceiling windows — that will eventually frame the city’s skyline and the peaks of the Front Range — out to a terrace that is just one of three open-air spaces designed to bring the outside in. Something to note: even in the model, the balconies are built to scale and adorned with artful shrubs and other foliage.

True to the design of all the floor plans in the building, the model is partitioned into a private space and an entertaining space. Walk to your left, and you’ll see the study, guest bedroom and master en suite (along with three bathrooms, including the master). To your right, the design includes an open kitchen, living and dining area and even a baby grand piano!

Urban contemporary colors and lines blend throughout the model enhanced by exquisite lighting and other small touches of taste.

The model is a perfect replica down to almost every detail. Unfortunately, guests will have to imagine the four-star amenities available at 1401 Lawrence. The 24-hour front desk, bellman services, valet parking and even a dog washing and grooming station all add to the distinctive aura that makes 1401 Lawrence stand out as the best of Denver.

For great photos of the sales center, see those sported by the Urban Enthusiast on his Live Downtown Denver Blog.    Better yet - join us for our OPEN HOUSE this Sunday, December 9th between 12 noon and 5pm.

Popularity: 61% [?]

The Urban Enthusiast from the Live Downtown Denver blog has just highlighted his 1401 Lawrence Party experience.  He features over 17 images of the 1401 Lawrence sales centre and model suite - with some of the best photos we’ve seen of our sales centre.  

He writes “Both the sales area and the model were very sophisticated and stunning in both their architecture and interior design.  Being a previous architecture student it was really great to see such fresh and innovative design.” 

He goes on to write “I was very impressed by how well they used the space and incorporated so much built in storage capacity throughout the home.”   

Built-in storage capacity was very carefully considered during the design planning stages.  We interviewed many, many Denverites, some of whom indicated they would be downsizing from a large home outside the city to home downtown.  As such, their storage needs were considerable.  

We are pleased the model suite made such a strong and positive impression.  

Interested in attending a 1401 Lawrence PRIVATE OPEN HOUSE?  We will be hosting an event for our registrants on Sunday December 9th, from noon till 5pm.  Stay tuned for more information - we will be e-mailing information to registrants this Monday, December 3rd.

Popularity: 63% [?]

The release of photographs of the scale model of 1401 Lawrence

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has generated lots of interest in the building — and a few questions - see Ken’s Denver Infill Blog post, his excellent photos of the scale model and comments received on “1401 Lawrence Sales Center Opens“.

To respond, we went to the lead architect of 1401 Lawrence, Peter Clewes from architectsAlliance.

In designing 1401 Lawrence, which will be the tallest residential building in Denver, Clewes used a strategy called “point-block tower,” creating a six-story podium at the base of the building with a narrower tower rising for an additional 45 stories.

“Using this type of design has several advantages,” notes Clewes. “It allows us to create parking and street-level retail spaces within the podium, and the height and mass of the podium fits in with the surrounding buildings so it completes the façade of the street. Then with the narrow tower rising from the podium, the building has a beautiful proportion in the Denver skyline.”

Clewes designed a building of similar style for Great Gulf in Toronto. Called 18 Yorkville, the project recently won two Toronto Urban Design Awards of Distinction. 18 Yorkville’s 36-story tower, representative of the point tower at 1401 Lawrence, took the High-Rise Building category, while the seven-story building called the Villas at Yorkville, which is similar to the seven-story base at 1401 Lawrence, won for distinguished building in the Mid-Rise category.

The Toronto Urban Design Awards jury said this about the design at 18 Yorkville: “Respectful of the historic Yonge Street commercial strip without being dogmatic in terms of setbacks and scale, this iconic tower is rooted in a sophisticated site that optimizes pedestrian amenity. The entry is materially integrated to create a seamless transition…”

The smaller residential tower at 1401 Lawrence, with a footprint of about 8,000 square feet (a typical footprint is about 20,000 to 25,000 square-feet), brings advantages to the interiors of the residences as well.

“Because of the smaller footprint, the majority of our residences will wrap around two and sometimes three faces of the building, creating multi-directional views from the units,” Clewes says. “We can create large, generously proportioned homes that take advantage of aspects such as cross-ventilation and the sun as it moves across the sky. We can also create expansive balconies that invite the residents to embrace the outdoor advantages of living in Denver.”

1401 Lawrence will be a decidedly modern building, but it will incorporate cues from buildings in the adjacent LoDo historic district.

“We very deliberately designed a modern building, because we believe that we should do buildings of our time, but have respect and make reference to the historic district,” Clewes explains. “For instance, we use stone pilasters to create retail spaces and rhythm on the street, but we believe strongly as architects that we need to identify buildings of our time and not slavishly copy something from another era.”

18 Yorkville is in a comparable neighborhood in Toronto. The city responded positively to Clewes’ conversion of new and old in Canada, saying, “The mid-rise component of this development stands out as an appropriately scaled, contemporary response to the need for increased density in established neighbourhoods. Front doors and stoops on the ground-floor units respect the Victorian row-house vernacular, while a simply and beautifully detailed façade civilizes the extra density.”

Ultimately, says Clewes, 1401 Lawrence is designed to incorporate its surroundings while making its own mark on the neighborhood. “We wanted to create something that Denver has never seen before, yet still have the project tie into the qualities that make the city so special,” says Clewes.

Popularity: 69% [?]

1401 Lawrence will be the tallest residential tower in Denver, and the second-highest building in the city. What’s it like to live at 51 stories?

Like nothing else.

The residents of 1401 Lawrence will experience a fusion of art, architecture, design AND nature through the windows of their suites.

To the west are famed views of Mount Evans, Rocky Mountain National Park, Longs Peak, and the full Front Range unfettered by any other buildings. Even Cézanne himself couldn’t paint such a landscape.

To the north, south and east Denver’s landmarks are laid out, reminding residents of the many nearby amenities such as Coors Field, Invesco Field, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, to name a few.

Suites at all levels feature floor-to-ceiling windows in the master suite, guest suites, and throughout the living and dining areas. But if the gallery provided by these windows, graced with perfect drapery, is too passive, at 1401 Lawrence residents experience nature, too. Floor plans include one, two and even three grand terraces, landscaped by nature. Imagine barbecuing a steak on the terrace off of the kitchen. It’s a wonderful Denver activity. Now imagine it on the 30th floor, 40th floor or 51st floor, high atop the Mile High City!

(a rendering of our terrace from the “Topaz” suites - click to enlarge)

Click on the “Gallery” for these spectacular views, seen from only a chosen few of Denver’s high-rise buildings. Our newly opened, luxurious sales center features more views from 1401 Lawrence’s suites, available for viewing by appointment with one of our knowledgeable brokers.

Our designer, Anna Simone, was inspired by the “magnificent views of Denver” — and how well she incorporated it!

Popularity: 66% [?]