LIV magazine Summer 2015 Curtis Fentress

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CURTIS FENTRESS
& THE CHANGING FACE
OF DENVER’S
ARCHITECTURAL
LANDSCAPE
page 10
is buildings grace the skylines of
cities around the world and are
visited by over 350 million people
each year. A placemaker in the
truest sense of the word, internationally
renowned architect, Curtis Fentress, calls
Denver home and is responsible for designing
and implementing the city’s most iconic
landmarks. Denver International Airport,
the Colorado Convention Center and Sports
Authority Field at Mile High stadium are just
a few stamps in his passport of icons that
represent the city he calls home. Fentress’
philosophy is built on designing places for
people, but what happens when the dynamic
of people is changing? Retiring baby boomers
and well-educated, ready-for-the-workforce
millennials, are influencing housing patterns
and changing the way Coloradans do business.
They are the cause of a noticeable shift in the
architectural landscape of the Mile High City.
It is fortunate for Denver, that it has Fentress—
a man from whose hands spring architectural
masterpieces like fistfuls of tossed confetti.
And while the landscape of architecture might
be changing, Fentress’ message regarding the
importance of creating a sense of place is not.
His achievements stand proudly around the
city he calls home, and serve as a reminder to
design with integrity, a notion, like a compass,
that will continue to point Denver’s skyline in
the right direction.
Curtis Fentress is responsible for creating some of Denver’s most iconic
landmarks. And, as Brittanny Havard finds, he also has seasoned insight
into Denver’s architectural future.
H
page 11 Photo credit: ©Scott Dressel-Martin

To understand where a city’s architectural landscape is headed, you have to be knowledgeable
about its past, and Fentress has been learning Denver for over thirty five years. Fentress grew up in North
Carolina, and graduated from North Carolina State University’s College of Design, School of Architecture.
He then moved to New York City where his architectural career blossomed. After eight years in New York
City, Fentress came to Colorado to design the Amoco building that dominates the end of 17th street.
“Designing that building brought me back and forth to Colorado a lot in the 1970s and I loved it and
thought it was a fabulous place. The mountains, skiing, lack of humidity—all the wonderful things that
attract people here today were very appealing to me. I commuted a lot in the 1970s and in the 1980s.
I thought, that’s it—I’m moving here.”
One of his most recognized projects, locally and around the world, is Denver International Airport.
“Every project we’ve done has a long story how it comes about. We were given a job to complete
the airport, a job somebody else had started. The mayor didn’t like the building; he said he wanted
something similar to something he had seen in Australia. I thought to myself, the Sydney Opera House?”
For Fentress, the Denver International Airport project was about relating the structure to the most
inspiring, most recognized, thing in Colorado.“Here, it is the mountains,” said Fentress,“so that was
the design of the terminal building. What about Denver is different versus Omaha, or Denver versus Los
Angeles? It could be the mountains that make a place unique, in Los Angeles, it could be the people.”
DIA was a difficult undertaking for Fentress from a design standpoint. It is not always easy to design
an infrastructure building that is elegant and unique, especially with a timeframe of a matter of weeks to
complete the project.“I was told I was $75 million over budget, to start,” said Fentress.“Myself and my
team made the impossible possible, and I was surprised we’d accomplished it.”Three weeks after taking on
the project, Fentress had designed the gateway to the west, $40 million under budget. He earned himself
the reputation of a hybrid architect; capable of developing iconic designs reflective of the region’s culture,
while remaining within budgetary confines associated with high profile public architecture projects.
“Myself and my team made the impossible possible,
and I was surprised we’d accomplished it.”
-Curtis Fentress on designing DIA
PHOTOS
This page:
Top: Denver International Airport
© Ellen Jaskol
Bottom (left): Denver International Airport
© Timothy Hursley
Opposite page:
Top (right): Sports Authority Field at
Mile High Stadium
© Jamie Schwaberow/RCA Creative
Bottom (left): Jefferson County Gov. Center
Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing
Despite the newfound recognition Fentress
garnered after completing the DIA project, he
had to compete to design the Convention Center.
“There was a competition for developers to
come up with a convention center,” said Fentress.
“David French, developer of the Colorado
Convention Center, asked where it should be, I
said the 14th street location because it was near
all the hotels. We didn’t own any land, so we
drew a line on a map around where we thought
it should be. It’s about relating the building to
the city and the hotels and moving the building
into downtown as close as possible to the
restaurants, Larimer square—the places that
conventioneers want to go to in the evening.”
The build of the convention center had two
phases.“In phase two, we had much more of
an opportunity to remake the structure into a
dramatic piece of architecture,” said Fentress.
We tipped that big blade up Speer Boulevard.
The way it’s lit up in the evening says ‘something
exciting is going on over here’. The architecture
relates to the dancing sculptures, and it re-
defines the skyline from various vantage points,
making it too an iconic building. Those big blades
on the convention center are reflections of the
Flatirons—common, Colorado landforms.”
Fentress’ next stamp in Denver’s book
of icons came with the design of the Sports
Authority Field at Mile High Stadium.“In the
design for that building, we were trying to relate
the stadium to a place, the West. The upper
crown of the building profile is in the shape of a
saddle for the Broncos. Sometimes it’s easy to
see what we’re working with; sometimes it’s not
so easy to see. But it’s interesting.”
Cheerfully referred to as the “Taj Mahal”
of Golden, the Jefferson County Government
Center—yes, one of Fentress’ designs too,
gave a sense of identity back to a community.
“The design for that project evolved. We were
supposed to design an office building and then
were asked to add a courthouse to the project.
We were working with two bold project types,
then, we joined the two with an atrium space.
Turn right to the court house, left to office space.
It became apparent to us that overnight, what
we had created had become the most important
building in Jefferson County,” said Fentress.
“Jefferson [county’s] problem was that all the
services were spread out and people couldn’t
find them. We placed a dome on top of the
atrium, a very Jeffersonian schema, and the
consequence is that the building is like a big
lantern in the evening.You can identify this big
building, next to this very big highway. It has an
identity that is important to everyone that is
trying to find it.”
Continued on next page...

While Fentress’ recent works are icons today, Denver’s
architectural scape was one of transition, with stop and
go along the way. “At the turn of the century, when Union
Station was built, there was an influx of people moving to
Colorado from the East and West,” said Fentress. “Architects
were designing buildings that you might in see in San
Francisco or Chicago, which were just larger towns then than
Denver is today. A lot of historic architecture was removed
in 1960s and 1970s due to urban renewal. Then, about three
50-story buildings were built the 1980s, which was the last
of the big building boom. Not a lot happened downtown until
the [Colorado] Convention Center. Today, it’s a different
story. Now we see things like the Four Seasons, and the Spire
building. There are new hotels popping up that didn’t exist
here six or seven years ago. There are new, exciting, pieces of
architecture on the skyline.”
New business is also changing the architectural
landscape of Denver. “The central business district is being
ringed by these ten thousand apartments that are being
built,” said Fentress. “They will provide a nesting place
for all young people moving here. They are starting new
businesses. They are renting desks by the hour. Who’s to
say that one of these businesses won’t be the next Google
or Facebook? Denver’s never been a corporate headquarter,
but who’s to say that’s not the direction it’s going.”
Fentress sees a clear shift in the residential architectural
styles of the metro Denver happening right now, from when
he first entered the Denver architectural scene. “People here
are getting more sophisticated in terms of what they want
and what they like. This level of sophistication runs from
people in the Four Seasons to people who are looking for
micro condos.”
“Baby boomers that have been living in Cherry Hills
want to move to areas with less maintenance so they can
come and go. Young people want the same thing—mobility,
coupled with access.” As Fentress sees it, “They don’t need
to have ownership of cars and clothes and records the same
ways their parents did. I see that as a big trend. Many people
are setting up businesses like cars to go, or downloading
music, not buying it. Luxury today is smarter, not bigger.”
Elements of Fentress’ architectural style can be
seen in his own residence, currently listed for sale with
brokers Douglas D. Kerbs and Peter Blank of LIV Sotheby’s
International Realty. Located on the 40th floor of the luxury
Four Seasons private residences, Fentress’ home offers
comfort, function, durability and style—his top design
priorities. Fentress’ coined “airside-to-curbside” traveler
experience that serves function at DIA, is paralleled in his
own home, which contains many elements with the primary
purpose to serve function. “Our lifestyle isn’t about cooking
every day, it’s more about entertaining,” said Fentress.
Custom Varenna cabinets serve as the foundation for his
kitchen island where white Ceasarstone countertops create
a central hub for social gatherings and a distinctive bar
area, characterized by a colorful splash, adds depth to an
otherwise austere palette.
How the Jefferson County Government Center provides
comfort to a community, by giving them a sense of identity,
Fentress’ home offers comfort in its convenience. “For me
it’s an easy way of life here. Everything’s close, it’s not all the
hassle of a big city,” said Fentress. “At The Four Seasons in
Denver, it’s an easy community to make friends and conduct
business.”
And finally, from the durability and lastingness of
Colorado’s Flatirons, to the shape of Denver’s saddle-styled
football stadium, Fentress’ home is both durable and of
course, stylish. A painted glass fireplace provides color and
warmth, while a lamp in the form of a black stallion and a
pig offering butler services add a playful motif to the original
design. The family room and dining area are enveloped by
windows overlooking Denver and the foothills, reminding
Fentress of his favorite time of day. For him, most memorable
are the evenings, when the light transforms the sky into a
kaleidoscope of colors spanning across the Denver skyline,
and early in the morning, when the sun comes up across the
plains, the airport, his own design, is visible in the distance.
“Luxury today is smarter, not bigger.”
-Curtis Fentress
PHOTOS
Top (left): Jefferson County Gov. Center
Bottom (left): Curtis W. Fentress
Jason A. Knowles © Fentress Architects
Bottom (middle): Curtis Fentress’residence at the Four Seasons
Bottom (right): Denver International Airport
Though Colorado’s architectural landscape is
changing, one thing remains consistent; with architecture,
you have something to show for it. “It makes me feel good
to know I, and a lot of other people in my office, had a hand
in making important elements in community. That’s one
thing I love about being an architect. I like making things
exciting, dramatic and iconic and you have a physical
product to show for your work.”
Fentress is famous for thinking about the future with
his designs, and redefining architecture, based on the
needs of people.
“Architecture is closely attached to the economy and
what our economic needs are. Thereby it ebbs and flows
with the needs we all have. At present, we only need one
airport, one convention center, one football stadium; we
have met the market with those—and now there’s a big
push for apartments with the new condo laws, so they’re
not building condos, but they are building apartments to fit
those needs. Take the example of the start-up businesses,
perhaps we’ll need a corporate campus for all the
businesses that grow, and that might be the next big turn.”
For further details on this exclusive offering, contact
LIV Sotheby’s International Realty brokers, Douglas D.
Kerbs at 303.898.7818, or Peter Blank of MileHiModern at
720.849.1956. To service all of your real estate needs visit
livsothebysrealty.com.

LIV magazine Summer 2015 Curtis Fentress

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