Renovation of the historic Boston and Kistler buildings into a mixed-use project of affordable and market-rate rental units, retail space and the purchase of parking spaces in the Magnolia Hotel parking garage.
The Boston Lofts project involved the renovation of two significant historic buildings in downtown Denver, the Boston Building and the Kistler Building. The Boston Building was constructed in 1890 and designed by Andrews & Jacques, the same firm that designed the nearby Equitable Building. Much of the historic building’s character comes from its façade in Manitou red sandstone from Colorado. The Kistler Building was designed by Harry Edbrooke and constructed in 1916 as home to the Kistler Stationery Co. The Art Deco/ Commercial style building features glazed terra cotta pinnacles and other ornaments. Both buildings are on the National Registry of Historic Places and are part of the Downtown Denver Historic District.
Occupied by commercial and financial tenants for almost 100 years, by the 1990s both structures sat vacant and were in need of significant renovations. National Boston Lofts Associates, LLLP (National Properties) acquired the buildings in the mid-1990s. DURA assistance helped to connect and renovate the buildings into the Boston Lofts, a 158-unit apartment building, consisting of 33 affordable and 125 market-rate rental units and 9,600 square feet of retail space.
The renovated lofts retain some of the character of the original buildings including high ceilings, exposed brick, pressed-tin ceilings, vaulted doors, and original stained-glass windows on the second floor. Part of the City’s more than two-decade effort to revitalize downtown Denver, the completed project helped to preserve two of downtown’s historically significant buildings and to fulfill the 1986 Downtown Area Plan goal of providing mixed-income residential opportunities.
The project was sold by National Properties to AIMCO Boston Lofts LLP in 2000.