CREJ - Building Dialogue - September 2015
Humphries and Poli Make Impact on the West Walking into the gleaming white American Wood men Insurance building in downtown Denver, one gets a sense of history and a strong vibe of creative - energy. The historic building is humming and vibrant due to the dynamism of its occupants, Humphries Poli Architects. As fraternity brothers at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign in the early 1970s, Dennis Humphries and Joe Poli could never have dreamed of their success as partners of their own architecture firm, which is today one of the most celebrated in Colorado. The two Midwestern boys, Humphries from South Bend, Indiana, and Poli from Chicago, went on to obtain master’s degrees at UI. Their paths diverged after graduating, and they went in separate directions, one to work in their chosen field, one to a faculty position in academia. Poli took a design position at the global architecture firm Perkins and Will in Chicago. There, he cut his teeth on big multimillion-dollar projects in places like Dubai, Egypt, and Malaysia. “It was a great place to spend a few years thinking really big,” Poli says with a smile. The youngest associate ever named at Perkins and Will, Poli won accolades and subsequently was invited to join the Chicago Architecture Club. Membership in the prestigious organization allowed him to rub elbows with the best architects in the Midwest, and some of the best in the world. He says his Chicago mentors still influence his work. “Being around those people at that age is kind of intimidating, but it gave me the process and rigor that is so important when you’re working to solve multiple, difficult problems,” he says. While Poli was designing buildings in exotic locales, Humphries returned to his hometown to take a prestigious position teaching architecture at the University of Notre Dame. But before he got to that Notre Dame, Humphries had spent a formative year studying the “other” Notre Dame, in Paris. The city that Earnest Hemingway called “a moveable feast” not only shaped Humphries’ approach to architecture, but also it continues to be a source of inspiration. In that transformative year abroad, Humphries continually was exposed to both classical and modern masterpieces. While exploring the architectural landscape of Paris and other European capitals, he kept running headlong into the striking juxtaposition of old and new, a vocabulary he has banked in his memory to draw on often. “I’ve always advocated doing contemporary architecture in very classical settings,” Humphries says, by way of example. The American Woodmen Insurance Building, constructed in 1950, is a terrific illustration of this, standing as it does in stark contrast to the National Historic District of Victorian homes across the street. In 1984, the two friends convened in Denver, where Poli had been working as design director at Pouw & Associates. Humphries joined Poli there, and 10 years later, they departed together to found Humphries Poli Architects. The building in which Humphries Poli is housed today is not only an example of bringing together old and new, it is also an apt metaphor for the firm’s work and ethic. A Denver landmark that’s been thoughtfully and beautifully renovated, it also reflects several of the firm’s values – ennobling the site, inspiring participants, sustaining resources and bringing joy to occupants. “Ennobling the site suggests that the project will leave the place in a better state than it was,” Humphries explains. “So, you’re honoring and respecting the context and picking up on the heart and soul of the community.” The connection to community is one of the unspoken values of HPA, which are visible throughout the cheerful, day-lit offices. But while the walls of almost any modern workplace are plastered with placards reminding employees of the company’s “Vision, Mission and Values,” those at HPA are very much mirrored in the work of the firm. The underlying commitment to community is evidenced by the preponderance of public buildings, historic renovations (including the restoration of the State Capitol Dome), schools and libraries in the HPA portfolio. With more than 70 in his repertoire, Humphries has designed more libraries than any other architect in Colorado. Many of these have included renovations of historic Carnegie libraries. The steel magnate financed the construction of more than 2,500 public libraries around the world at a cost of about $10,000 each between 1883 and 1929. Each community was required to raise an equal amount of money to enable them to fund operations in perpetuity. “Working in these buildings allows us to restore and continue the use of the building for another 100 years,” says Humphries. “So it’s a very valuable and highly valued resource within that community.” He says people came out in droves to celebrate the opening of HPA’s smallest library project, a 2,400-square-foot “one-room” library in rural Wyoming. He saw a similar outpouring of support for the largest he has designed, the 112,000-square-foot public library in Colorado Springs. Humphries is hesitant about picking a favorite. “All of our projects are about improving the livability and quality of our communities,” Humphries says. “Whether it’s a new K-12 school, a library, an affordable housing community, preserving a building that’s been dormant in the community for years, or just upgrading the roof of a Post Office – they all have importance to our lives.” Public buildings are created with community in mind, access and openness as an overarching premise. Parameters for these buildings are often driven largely by the community, which, Poli points out, illustrates the difference between being an artist and being an architect. An artist may create a painting in New York and then take it with her when she moves to Los Angeles, he says. “You can’t do that with architecture because it’s about place,” Poli says. “Being an architect means that the work is rooted in the place, the site or the community. And I think that’s indicative of how we think.” That ethic is reflected in the culture of HPA. Ryan Wallace, the newest partner at the firm, says that’s exactly what compelled him to take the position. “I realized there was something different about this firm, and that was their desire to make better ‘places,’” he said via email. “Macro and micro, inside and out, architecture is about the place, and they want to talk about it.” Being connected to the community is not only about creating great public spaces, it also relates to the two friends’ commitment to the architectural and design community of Denver, Colorado and the region. Throughout their history, Humphries and Poli have each worked to advance design while conserving the rich historical heritage of Denver. Among many roles, Humphries has served as chairman of the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission and as a trustee for Historic Denver. Poli has been active as a board member for AIA Denver, the LoDo Design Review Board, and the Design Review Committee for the Auraria Campus. Thinking back on his days as a young member of the Chicago Architecture Club, Poli says one of the most important things he took away was that collegiality is critical to the practice of architecture. He says the club brought together fierce competitors, designers who were often going after the same projects, who would get together after hours in the confines of the club, to talk, even critique one another’s work. “It was all done in a very collegial way,” Poli says. “That’s when I realized that’s an important part of what we do, too, and it’s something that’s basic to big city architecture.” He later started the Denver Architectural League to advance the design dialogue in Colorado. While the Woodmen Insurance building is a testament to the design eye of Poli and his friend and partner Humphries, it’s also evidence of their deep commitment to nurturing creativity in the community. Home to three artists-in residence, the firm hosts each for – months in spacious, well-lit studios on the first floor. Their work graces the walls of the HPA offices, and is the focus of art openings and other events. As their firm celebrates its 21st anniversary, they have received more than 100 design awards. Perhaps even more telling – as measures of peer recognition – HPA has been named AIA Western Region Firm of the Year, AIA Colorado Firm of the Year and AIA Denver Firm of the Year. The leadership and influence of the firm was recognized by Gov. John Hickenlooper, when he named May 21, 2015, Humphries Poli Architects Day. That, in itself, shows a deep connection to the community. “Our practice is about building communities,” Humphries adds. “That’s why I get so excited and am so honored to be called an ‘architect’.”