Long considered to be a “trophy” office location, 1899 Wynkoop office building sits just steps away from some of Denver’s key Denver landmarks – Coors Field, McGregor Square, Union Station – as well as a bevy of bars and restaurants. The seven-story property has a fifth-floor rooftop deck, a bike barn, and some employee showers, and these amenities and ideal location helped keep it at or near 100% occupancy for more than 20 years.
But in late 2022, when this highly performing office property began to show COVID-related leasing sluggishness, 1899’s ownership group envisioned an “amenity refresh” program to revitalize the property and restore its place as a coveted office property in the Denver Metro area.
Recognizing that they had to find a new balance between attractive amenities and profit-producing leasable space, the team set out to create an amenity program that would literally check all the boxes for lessee Internet office space searches and entice potential tenants to come for a walk through. Once inside, the property should speak for itself, having that welcoming “soul” that beckons people to stay and relax.
Fortunately, the 1899 property had some less-desirable ground-floor leasable space that would provide more bang for the buck as common space. The goal was to turn this ground-floor square footage into a welcoming space that had the feel of a high-end residential property.
Based upon expert advice and a creative design team, the refresh project ended up with a large common space with comfortable luxury furniture, interesting art pieces, large format tile from Italy and a custom hybrid curtainwall storefront system, plus a coffee shop and wayfinding that directs tenants to the new full service fitness center with cardio, free weights and machines. Deeper inside, 1899 has expanded and upgraded conference and kitchen space, and upgraded luxury appointments on the fifth-floor rooftop deck. All these amenities were geared to help the space feel welcoming, comfortable, and serving as a peaceful retreat where workers can recharge and refresh.
1899’s construction phase ended in early 2025, and the property is already seeing a measurable jump in leasing interest. Pinkard Construction was the construction manager/general contractor that turned the creative programming and high-end appointments into reality. The detailed craftsmanship is evident everywhere you turn, from strategically placed indirect lighting to large format Italian wall-tile with grout-lines that perfectly align with floor tiles.
Local experts agree: the 1899 Wynkoop amenity team “did everything right” in creating an amenity refresh showpiece, but not every owner/property manager has the budget to go all-out. A good strategy for smaller-budget programs would be to take some hard-to-lease vacancies and turn them into speculative suites that a tenant can occupy immediately.
So whether you are on board with a full-blown refresh or prefer to take a spec-suite approach, an amenity refresh project can provide that delicious enticement that not only helps to facilitate the return of work-from-home employees, but it also improves morale and helps employers retain valuable talent.
