820 16th Street

Another historic office building on 16th Street is going residential, right across the street from the University Building.

Thanks to $17 million in funding from the Downtown Development Authority, the Symes Building at 820 16th Street will be transformed into 116 housing units for residents earning 30–80% of the area median income (AMI).

The project also includes improved ground-floor retail and a new outdoor patio to bring more activity to the street level.

Built in 1906, the Symes Building predates the University Building by five years and was developed by David H. Moffat, one of Denver’s most influential railroad magnates. It was designed by architect Frank Edbrooke, whose resume also includes the Brown Palace.

At the time, the Symes was considered a state-of-the-art, steel-framed, fireproof structure with terra cotta detailing and neoclassical flair.

Over the decades, it housed lawyers, civic groups, and small businesses. However, like many historic office buildings downtown, it struggled with rising vacancies in the wake of remote work and shifting commercial demand.

Now, it’s being reimagined as housing for the people who work, serve, and create in the city.

With the University Building directly across the street also being converted into mixed-income housing, this stretch of 16th Street is becoming a focal point of downtown Denver’s residential revival, bringing more foot traffic, more storefronts, and more life to the core.

It’s a smart reuse of legacy architecture and another step in making downtown feel like a place to live, not just pass through.