Denver, now with more Libeskind!

From the Rocky Mountain News. I hope they do, do a farmer's market. That would be super-convenient.

Architect crafts 'bold' park plan
But Libeskind's concept also elicits caution, criticism

By Alan Gathright And Stuart Steers, Rocky Mountain News
March 13, 2006

Influential Denver volunteers seeking an exciting vision to revitalize historic Civic Center dared famed architect Daniel Libeskind to dream up something that said: "Wow!"

But when Libeskind, who designed the new wing of the Denver Art Museum, presented his conceptual sketches and a model in early February, members of the Civic Center Conservancy said: "Whoa!"

There amid the park's classic, century-old City Beautiful design, Libeskind envisioned a spreading, shallow pond that would eliminate the great lawn. It would be drained for special events and possibly become an ice skating rink in the winter.

A 330-foot tower would spiral from the center of the park, with an elevator that would whisk visitors to an Eiffel Tower-style observation platform.

A new cafe kiosk with a shiplike prow would jut 30 feet over Broadway, with a twin kiosk protruding over 14th Avenue.

A metal "lightning bolt" bridge would be built over West Colfax Avenue, a pedestrian link to the 16th Street Mall area.

"He's a bold architect, so he came up with a lot of things way outside the box," said Helen Kuykendall, a senior city parks planner who serves on the Civic Center Conservancy, which used a $75,000 donation to hire Libeskind.

"Now everyone is trying to figure out how to maybe capture some of the bold concepts, but kind of rein it back in to parameters of the (Civic Center) master plan," approved by the City Council last year, she said.

"It was a radical dream of self-expression," said another person who has been involved in the planning process for Civic Center and who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "It's how a star architect gets to be a star."

Conservancy officials sent the master architect back to the drawing board with instructions to tame the wilder ideas and strive for a 21st century "reinterpretation" of the park's original Beaux Art style.

But rumors of Libeskind's brainstorming alarmed some of the city's historic preservationists, who accused the private conservancy of plotting to violate the landmark park that's the cultural and civic heart of Denver.

Former Denver Parks and Recreation Manager Carolyn Etter criticized a "secrecy-shrouded" process in which the conservancy was privately showing Libeskind's plan for the public park to the mayor, governor and wealthy citizens - but not to the public.

"Power and money are moving in ahead of the public," Etter warned at a recent Denver Landmark Preservation Commission meeting.

"The public has a lot invested in this very, very important piece of our city," she said in an interview. "It just seems to me that the public needs to be involved in the process of its restoration."

Conservancy President Elaine Asarch said critics are unfairly slamming the all-volunteer group for not releasing a plan they've just begun crafting. When the group is satisfied with Libeskind's proposal, she said, it will go through a rigorous public hearing process.

"I would like to dispel urban myths that are circulating," Asarch said. "People are so afraid we're going to obliterate the park, and that is not our intention."

"All of us are historical preservationists. We all want to rekindle the past, keep those old wonderful bones and just layer onto it, build onto it," Asarch said, referring to plans to renovate aging historic structures like the McNichols Building, Greek Theater and the Voorhies Memorial with its Seal Fountain.

Others see the controversy as a catalyst for breathing new life into a park tarnished by litter, transients and drug use that have frightened visitors away from the city's traditional gathering place for festivals, political rallies, Super Bowl and Stanley Cup celebrations.