“The Powerful Story of the Emily Griffith Redevelopment”

In Downtown Denver, the old Emily Griffith campus is a historic part of the city and was ready for a facelift. The school relocated to Lincoln Street, leaving the original campus behind. The original school was founded in 1916 and is core to the history of Denver for teaching practical skills. Mortenson brought The Art of Concrete on board to help create a fitting hardscaping package for this mixed-use development.

Innovation and Advancement:

With budget constraints the Emily Griffith Project had a lot of concrete that got value engineered by the team to uncolored concrete, but that didn’t stop the group from exploring how to make the uncolored concrete decorative and appealing. Simple changes such as changing the finish of the surfaces and intentional layout helped create design interest and helped define spaces.

The concrete was finished in six different finishes:

1. Uncolored sand finish

2. Uncolored broom finish

3. Uncolored broom finish with a picture frame border

4. Uncolored trowel finish with a light acid wash

5. Colored broom finish concrete

6. Colored smooth trowel finished concrete with brass lettering

Creativity:

The enhanced paving and uncolored concrete were performed with excellence, precision, and safety. The finish turned out phenomenal and all the surrounding tenants were extremely satisfied with the hard work. The star feature to this project is a poem embedded into the concrete in front of the entrance to the Hotel. The poem was written by Walter Malone that reads:

“Wail not for precious chances passed away, Weep not for golden ages on the wane! Each night I burn the records of the day at sunrise every soul is born again”

Results:

The end results are stunning and heartwarming, the overall paving was completed with quality and pride. The Art of Concrete was honored to be part of this redevelopment that celebrated the history and impact the school had and continues to have. The entire hotel is themed off of the school and its history, creating great a tribute to Emily Griffith and celebrating its contribution to the Denver community. The property now has a modern appealing look while the pavement and concrete provide a welcoming and inspiring feel to the redevelopment.