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MARCH 2017 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 59
T he parking garage – not the first location
that comes to mind for artwork. Why bother
making such a matter-of-fact space less util-
itarian? But for downtown Denver’s The Cur-
tis Hotel, owned and operated by Sage Hospitality,
function and form go hand in hand when it comes
to their parking garage elevator lobbies melding way
finding, branding, guest engagement and PR buzz.
In 2016, The Curtis Hotel engaged design firm DLR
Group and our own art advisory firm to help transform
the parking garage elevator lobbies into immersive ex-
periences for guests and staff alike. DLR Group developed
a thematic concept that corresponds each parking garage
level with a different level of the earth’s atmosphere: un-
derground, ground and sky. DLR then turned to Nine dot Arts to help
curate original murals by local artists for the hotel’s five parking garage
floors. After approaching over a dozen artists, The Curtis Hotel select-
ed interdisciplinary Forrest J. Morrison, who has painted murals for the
Denver Urban Arts Fund as well as Youth on Record with the Denver
Housing Authority, to paint all five levels from the sub-basement up
through level two. As part of Sage Hospitality’s art initiative that creates a
mini museum inside each and every Sage hotel, this mural project con-
tinues The Curtis Hotel’s commitment to local artists while branding the
property as a one-of-a-kind, pop-culture experience for guests.
Morrison used The Curtis Hotel’s brand and its proximity to cultur-
al landmarks as the inspiration between his clever and approachable
pop culture/art history mash ups. The first level melds Edward Hopper’s
iconic Nighthawks with Denver’s skyline and the hotel’s own restaurant,
The Corner Office. Level 1A features François Boucher’s putty floating
among clouds complete with selfie sticks, smart phones, drones, remotes,
TVs and headphones. Morrison transformed the second floor into Mi-
chelangelo’s Sistine Chapel complete with God giving life to 1970s-health
personality Slim Goodbody and a narcissistic Adam. Morrison is trans-
forming the basement level into Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr.
Nicolaes Tulp featuring hipster-fashioned figures, faux wood paneling
and a tattoo parlor. The sub-basement will morph into Hieronymous
Bosch’s depictions of purgatory and hell from The Garden of Earthly De-
lights populated with mid-century pop culture icons that have lost their
glamour. The elevator door wall will be painted like an ancient Greek
bust: When the elevator doors open, guests enter as if through the bust’s
eye sockets. Such diversity of styles not only shows off Morrison’s incred-
ible versatility in artistic style but also creates a distinct environment for
each of the floors, helping guests identify and remember what floor they
parked on and encouraging visits to other floors as well.
Morrison has turned the parking garage into a temporary artist
Deanne Gertner
Project
Manager,
Nine dot
Arts