A massive 673-foot observation tower has been proposed for a site in Denver’s Central Business District.
The concept plan submitted to the city late last month envisions a spiraling, mystical tower topped with a sphere that is unlike anything on Denver’s skyline. It is proposed to be built on an existing surface parking lot bordered by California Street, Welton Street, 15th Street and 16th Street.
How realistic the proposal is remains unclear. Using a hotmail account, it was submitted by Barry Gilbert, who appears to be a construction manager at Denver-based commercial real estate company NAI Shames Makovsky. He couldn’t be reached for comment.
Recently, a network of gondolas was also pitched as a way to draw more people downtown.
The Downtown Development Authority has a big pool money to go into the redevelopment of the area and is accepting proposals for ways to improve downtown. It appears people are taking the agency up on the offer, following the adage that no idea is a bad idea.
As for the tower, the project plans show a new supporting building on the first floor.
To give a sense of scale, the tower’s height would be equivalent to stacking about 21 “Blucifer” statues, the 32-foot-tall blue mustang with glowing red eyes near Denver International Airport, or nearly 17 sculptures of the giant blue bear peeking into the city’s convention center.
The tower has generated a lot of buzz online, with some Reddit users quickly backing the proposal and coming up with creative nicknames for the structure.
One user wondered if it could be painted red and called “the eye of Blucifier,” a playful nod to both The Lord of the Rings and Denver’s unique local culture.
However, some were uncertain about the proposal, labeling it “a waste” and arguing that the city should focus on other ways to boost downtown business.
Others worried the structure might be “ugly,” as little information is available about the tower’s appearance beyond its initial concept plan.
The lot where the structure will be built is owned by Ephraim LLC, which is tied to Shames Makovsky, according to the state’s business entity database. Denver property records revealed several entities related to Shames Makovsky have owned the site, valued at a little over $8 million, since at least 2018.
Representatives from Shames Makovsky did not respond to requests for comment from The Post about the tower.
Yet, when it comes to ideas and plans to make Denver stand out, the sky knows no bounds.
A local businessman recently put forward some ideas to draw visitors and revive downtown, including a three-loop network of customizable, on-demand gondolas.
Dubbed “DEN-VAIR,” the six-passenger gondola-like cabins would transport passengers to every major downtown attraction, either through the air or on the ground.
“A gondola was part of a city plan adopted in 2020,” said Ryan Ross, director of nonprofit New Downtown Denver Inc., who is spearheading the idea.
“To not include it now would be a step backwards.”
Besides the gondola system, the nonprofit is exploring other ideas to revitalize downtown, such as adding moving sidewalks on 16th Street and constructing a new 1,000-seat indoor/outdoor amphitheater known as the Tabor Center Amphitheater.
When The Post reached out to the city about this, the Community Planning and Development department responded that they are not involved in or aware of any plans for a gondola in the downtown area.
Get more business news by signing up for our On The Block newsletter.
