Colorado Real Estate Journal - April 20, 2016
El Jebel Shrine, the historic Shriners building located on the Willis Case Golf Course in Denver’s Berkeley Neighborhood, is being redeveloped into 25 high-end condominiums by Clear Creek Homes, the for-sale brand of Colorado-based Confluence Builders. Confluence Builders is building the $12 million project, which is scheduled for completion in March. Shrine Preservation Partners, also of Colorado, is partnering on the redevelopment, which will preserve and restore the exterior of the classic 55,000-square-foot building. Craine Architecture is serving as the architectural firm for the project. “As an architectural firm, we are thrilled to be a part of the Confluence team and to be involved with the adaptive reuse of the El Jebel Shrine building,” said Dan Crain, AIA, of Craine Architecture. “With the abundance of ground-up, for rent multifamily product being designed and constructed, it is a refreshing and worthwhile challenge to breathe some life into the great older Denver structures so that they can be enjoyed for the next 100 years.” The building has “great bones,” according to Tim Walsh, founder of Confluence Builders. “It will provide a unique and special place for people to call home.” And “the building itself lays out well for a conversion into unique for-sale condominiums, lending itself to great interior layouts and many incredible exterior spaces,” Craine said. The top floors are well-suited for large decks that have “stunning views of the Rockies,” Walsh said. “The fact that the building is located in the heart of Willis Case Golf Course and walking distance to Tennyson Street’s shops and restaurants adds to the overall ambiance and surroundings. We already have strong interest from potential buyers, and we can’t wait to present people with the finished product.” Upon completion, the building will be energy-efficient (the developers plan to achieve a LEED Silver certification), feature a heated indoor parking garage, storage units, pet and gear washroom, fitness center, and club room for the residents to enjoy. Confluence Builders, which has completed 21 residential multifamily projects in the Denver metro area since 2010 with over 2,100 total units, has five other projects planned or currently under development.