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June 2021 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 79 of one-story structures. He closed on the property in 2017 and quickly moved to solicit neighborhood input on the project. “We met with all of the RNOs near the project, including Uptown, Curtis Park Neighbors, Five Points Business Dis- trict and Old San Rafael,” says Books. “We met with Five Points Business District and their design review commit- tee multiple times. In addition, we went through the Land- mark Commission process, which requires at least two pub- lic meetings.” Palisade wasn’t alone. According to Hyder Construction’s Colin Stone, project executive, neighborhood outreach and building relationships are things they do on every project. “If you’re going to build in a neighborhood, you have to support the community around you.” Hyder and Craine worked together to develop a loose pro- gram and concept design that was then vetted and adjust- ed as budget, neighborhood input and need demanded. “There were many meetings where we changed the num- ber of stories, we changed the structure, changed how many units was in it,” says Stone. “We changed it until it was the right mix where our anticipated budget really yielded a great design and a great proforma for the own- er to make sure that they were going to be able to make a good return.” The challenge for Craine, et al., was that while the neigh- borhood is a culturally historic district, the built environ- ment doesn’t necessarily inform the future context. Every- one knows the look of LoDo. Five Points? Not so much. “I think we’ve done our best to use materials that are familiar to Denver and the contextual patterning of Five Points,” says Craine. “The buildings themselves become the backdrop for the public realm and that, at the end of the day, is where you’re going to find that the most sensitivity / The Hooper / OPENING ART: The Hooper at Five Points is the latest Welton Corridor hit from the team of Palisade Partners and Craine Architecture. LEFT: The view of downtown from The Hooper's location at 26th and Welton Streets. MIDDLE: Because the vertical scale is broken down with setbacks at the transition of office space to residential, the design allows for balcony spaces for the residents. RIGHT: The Hooper's units feature streamlined kitchens. PHOTOS: Rocky Mountain Photography