Colorado Department of Health Center building

denver, photos — September 29, 2009

Denver_IMG_Sternberg_2498z

Another building from the former University of Colorado medical campus to meet the wrecking ball soon, the Colorado Department of Health Center building, designed by Eugene Sternberg, I believe in the late-’50s.

02 Denver_Sternberg_IMG_2505z

This building is a classic example of International-style, as opposed to the Usonian-style of the previous post. In some ways it reminds me of the Texaco Building on Grant.

03 Denver_Sternberg_IMG_2507z

Eugene Sternberg is well known for his contribution to Arapahoe Acres, and his many social mind designs for hospitals and schools, such as the Arapahoe Community College building.

04 Denver_Sternberg_IMG_2506z

Wonderful light fixture design

05 Denver_Sternberg_IMG_2504z

Boomerang benchs

06 Denver_Sternberg_IMG_2502z

It’s been clear for quite awhile that this building is going to be tore down, they have been letting it fall into disrepair.

07 Denver_Sternberg_IMG_2510z

It’s too bad they could bring themselves to repurpose these medical campus buildings.

Usonian ghosts

denver, photos — September 3, 2009

01 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7875z

Children’s Psychiatric Day Care Center in Denver built 1962.

02 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7865z

Designed by Denver’s foremost Usonian-style architects, Victor Hornbein and Ed White.

03 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7928z

This day care center bears a striking resemblance to Hornbein and White’s Usonian design for the Denver Botanical Gardens.

04 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7871z

Usonian is a style associated with Frank Lloyd Wright. Here you can see that the scaling is similar to a Wright design, perfect for children!

05 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7876z

The two buildings in this post are among the many buildings on the former University of Colorado medical campus that are slated for destruction.

06 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7877z

The Denver Landmark Preservation Commission approved landmarking status, but, sadly, the Denver City Council did not.

07 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7926z

This is a shame. Usonian structures are often torn down before their historical importance is understood.

08 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7878z

The Usonian concept was an ambitious effort to construct utopian structures in the United States. It was a way of building the future now.

09 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7920z

Usonian was the contrasting U.S. style to the more European International-style.

10 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7881z

International-style is usually undecorated, while Usonian buildings do not have this limitation.

11 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7883z

12 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7882z

13 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7879z

14 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7889z

And while Usonian is a predominantly U.S. style, you still see more International-style buildings in the United States, making the preservation of Usonian structures that much more important.

15 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7919z

16 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7891z

17 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7892z

18 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7894z

19 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7896z

This is the neighboring Usonian structure, the John F. Kennedy Childhood Development Center, also designed by Victor Hornbein and Ed White, in 1968.

20 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7913z

21 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7897z

22 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7902z

Since the structures are no longer used, they give off a ghostly vibe that constrasts with the vibrant architecture.

23 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7905z

24 Denver_Hornbein_white_medical_IMG_7909z

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License. | ModMidMod