Carnegie Library

Client: University of Denver

Site: Denver, Colorado

Built in 1908 on the campus of the University of Denver, this Carnegie library is one of the few academic libraries funded by the Carnegie Foundation, and the only one in the Rocky Mountain West. The structure is a one-story, cream, brick Neo-Classical Revival style building. Use as a library was no longer feasible as the needs of the library outgrew the space, and the building was adapted to other, various uses over time. The University was faced with the prospect of demolishing the building, if a new appropriate use could not be found. Part of our Building Evaluation Study involved a Historic Structures Report evaluating the historic and architectural significance of the building, its physical condition, and recommendations of appropriate alterations for this historically significant structure. Recommendations were made for appropriate uses, cost estimates presented, and the plan accepted.