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Page 44 — COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — March 18-March 31, 2015
Construction, Design & Engineering News
Jordy Construction finished
construction on Denver restau-
rant Rioja on Larimer Square in
downtown Denver.
After building out the Stoic &
Genuine restaurant in Union Sta-
tion with Boss Architecture for
chef Jennifer Jasinski and partner
Beth Gruitch, Jordy Construction
was brought on to give new life
to the 10-year-old restaurant.
“It was an easy decision to use
the Boss and Jordy Construction
combo for the Rioja remodel, and
once again they did not disap-
point," said Rioja co-owner Gru-
itch.
After celebrating its 10th anni-
versary last year, Rioja, which
is located at 1431 Larimer St.,
shut its doors and had the inte-
rior stripped down to raw brick
and studs. The goal was to give
the space a new, sleek, modern
and luxe atmosphere, accord-
ing to Jordy. Together with Boss
Architecture, Jordy Construction
completed the extensive con-
struction project on an acceler-
ated timeline of 3 ½ weeks in
order to minimize downtime for
the popular restaurant. Rioja re-
opened Feb. 4.
“Working with the owners of
Rioja and Stoic & Genuine has
been nothing short of inspira-
tional because everyone involved
was totally committed to creat-
ing spaces and experiences that
enhance the Denver commu-
nity,” said Jordy Construction
President Sean Wardroup. “For
our part, it was important that
we deliver exceptional quality on
a tight timeline, and that’s where
Jordy really excels. We know res-
taurant construction.”
The new design boasts a warm
color palette with woods, gold
and brass accents and sage green
crushed-velvet chairs and booths.
The restaurant now features
banquette seating options and a
“residential” style lounge, while
retaining the chef-centric patron
experience. The design also fea-
tures a new centrally located
wine display to complement Rio-
ja’s robust wine program.
“We’ve got a fantastic new
space in which to show off our
cuisine. I can't wait for everyone
to see it!” added Jasinski.s
In honor of its 10th anniversary, Rioja was redesigned to give the restaurant a sleek, modern atmosphere.
Simpson Housing, Nova-
re Group and Batson-Cook
Development Co. broke
ground on SkyHouse Denver,
a 26-story luxury residential
high-rise tower on the corner
of Broadway and 18th Avenue
in uptown Denver.
SkyHouse Denver is a mixed-
use project featuring 354 apart-
ment homes ranging from
studios to two-bedrooms and
includes 6,900 square feet of
street-level retail space. The
SkyHouse on the top floor of
the building includes a club-
room, swimming pool and fit-
ness center.
“We are excited to be work-
ing with Simpson Housing and
Batson-Cook Development Co.
to add SkyHouse Denver to the
fabric of downtown,” said Jim
Borders, president and CEO,
Novare Group.
JP Morgan and U.S. Bank are
providing construction financ-
ing for the project, and Simp-
son Housing, Batson-Cook
Development Co. and NGI
Investments LLC, led by Jim
Borders, and are providing
equity. Batson-Cook Construc-
tion and Swinerton Builders
are the general contractors.
The building is designed by
Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart,
Stewart and Associates.
The apartment homes will
all have 9-foot ceilings with
floor-to-ceiling glass, quartz
countertops, hardwood floors,
stainless steel appliances and
porcelain tile. In addition to the
SkyHouse amenity deck, the
SkyHouse Denver will have
vehicle charging stations, bike
storage, a bike kitchen, a dog
walk area and a dog washing
station. The sustainable build-
ing is being built to Energy Star
standards.
SkyHouse Denver is the
14th SkyHouse-branded apart-
ment community in the United
States following projects in
Dallas, Houston, Austin, Texas,
Atlanta, Tampa, Florida, Orlan-
do and Charlotte and Raleigh,
North Carolina. The first Sky-
House outside of the Southeast,
SkyHouse Denver will gener-
ate more than 500 temporary
construction jobs and about 50
permanent jobs when finished.
It is expected to be delivered in
mid-2016.s
Two groundbreaking ceremo-
nies have launched Commerce
City’s five-year, five-project
plan designed to increase rec-
reational opportunities in the
community. Golden Triangle
Construction Inc. is the gen-
eral contractor for the first two
milestones in the city’s Quality
Community Initiative.
GTC is in the process of con-
structing an aquatic facility at
Pioneer Park. Located at the
corner of Holly Street and 60th
Avenue, the park is already
home to state-of-the-art base-
ball and softball fields, as well
as a skate park. The primary
attraction of the new project is
a 5,000-square-foot outdoor lei-
sure pool with a zero-depth, or
beach-type, entrance.
Water features will include
a slide tower and three water
slides (speed, body flume and
inner tube); a 250-foot lazy river
with sprays and geysers; a tod-
dler pool with interactive water
features and a three-foot maxi-
mum depth; and an activities
pool for lap lanes, swim lessons
and volleyball. Designed by
Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative,
the project also includes a bath-
house, concessions, shade struc-
tures and cabanas for rent. Resi-
dents played a strong role in
choosing projects for the city’s
initiative, and they will be able
to enjoy the Pioneer Park addi-
tions this summer.
Across town to the northeast,
GTC is building the new Fron-
terra neighborhood park. All
eight alternatives for this project
were awarded – an embank-
ment slide, skate area, irrigated
bluegrass seed, irrigated native
seed at the south and north
sides of the park, bluegrass
sod at playfield, an addition
to widen the existing sidewalk
and a detached walk with irri-
gated bluegrass sod.
Fronterra Park is situated
between Second Creek K-8
Elementary School and Otho
Stuart Middle School. It spans
18.5 acres, with two open play
fields surrounded by areas that
accommodate a variety of out-
door activities. DHM Design
is the architect for the project,
which includes playgrounds,
fitness stations, shade shelters,
restrooms, a parking lot and a
large picnic shelter with barbe-
cue grills. The park is expected
to open by early 2016.s
Golden Triangle Construction is the general contractor for the first
two projects in Commerce City’s five-year, five-project plan.
The 26-story high-rise tower is expected to be delivered in mid-2016.