CREJ

78 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / June 2021 / The Hooper / cating with neighbors and trying to figure it out,” says Craine. “He invested the time and created a real dia- logue.” Part of that dialogue led Craine and Books to meet Carl Bourgeois, a longtime Five Points resident and property owner. With Bourgeois onboard as a partner, the group forged ahead with deeper involvement in the neighbor- hood. Books and Craine followed up The Wheatley with The Lydian, an eight-story, mixed-use residential building at 2590 Welton St., which led to The Hooper. Also on their plate is the restoration of famous Five Points landmark, The Rossonian Hotel, which happens to be right next door. According to Craine, who moved his firm into The Wheatley, they had no idea where that first project in Five Points would lead but they knew it felt good to be a part of the community. “The more we were integrated into the neighborhood, the more it felt like a great professional endeavor to be here,” says Craine “And, personally, this is what we want be involved with – sensitive infill development in a meaningful area.” Illustrating that commitment, Books joined the Five Points Business District Board in 2014 and eventual- ly had a hand in creating the Five Points Business Im- provement District, on which he currently serves as president. Craine sits on the Five Points Design Review Committee. Neighborhood Input Helped Shape The Hooper Originally, the idea was for the group to develop the entire block that includes the Rossonian Hotel. When that deal fell flat, Books purchased the parcel that was to become The Hooper, then a parking lot and a couple Hyder Construction broke ground in May 2019 on The Hooper, a nine-story, mixed-use project located at 2600 Welton St. in Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood. Jazz music serenaded onlookers as Palisade Partners and Hyder Construction broke ground on the project.