The Tivoli Student Union building is one of the most striking features of the Auraria campus. You see the former brewery’s spire piercing the sky before you even see the campus, and when the neon-blue TIVOLI sign is lit up at night, you can see it clearly from downtown. Tivoli, in a lot of ways, is a part of Denver history; it has been a fixture of the town since being built in 1882.
A rendering of the remodeled Tivoli Quad, expected to be completed next spring.
So it came as quite a shock for many CU Denver students returning for the fall semester to see the soccer fields in front of Tivoli full of construction workers instead of geese. The construction is all part of a massive overhaul of the Auraria campus, but it’s also got a lot of students asking: “What the heck is going on at the Tivoli?”
Crossing the finish line
The rejuvenation of the Tivoli quad is the culmination of a project over two decades in the works. The quad stretches eastward from the Tivoli, a large grass expanse adjacent to the CU Denver athletic field. Before construction began, the quad was used for athletics and academics alike, but it hadn’t realized its full potential.
Jeff Stamper, assistant vice president of operations and services for the Auraria Higher Education Campus (AHEC), promised a slew of new changes to the quad, all designed to ensure its viability for years to come. The changes include:
- New informal gathering spaces
- New shrubbery and plant life
- A new park, called Tivoli Quad Park, which will be open for anyone to use and experience
Even though the quad is going through a substantial change, Stamper emphasized that AHEC is focused on maintaining the balance between modern and historical architecture that defines downtown Denver. Another one of AHEC’s focuses: make the quad expansive enough for formal gatherings, such as graduation ceremonies. “A lot of planning and effort has gone into making sure we have that ability,” Stamper said.
History of the Tivoli remodel
The Tivoli remodel is just one part of a much larger project dating back to the early 1990s. AHEC acquired the Tivoli from a development company which had used it to open an unsuccessful shopping mall. Once Tivoli belonged to AHEC again, plans were put in motion to develop the site as a student union for the Auraria campus.
The students voted to implement changes to the building’s infrastructure. The roof was repaired, the fire system was revamped, and the HVAC was fully replaced. Perhaps the most dramatic change was stripping the building of its white paint, exposing its iconic brick edifice.
The Tivoli Quad will feature an expansive park for students to congregate and relax between classes.
“We also built the Tivoli Commons,” Stamper said, referring to the junction of Larimer Street and Tenth Street. “But the brass ring has always been the Tivoli quad.” After 23 years of periodic construction, Stamper is pleased that the end is in sight. The entire remodel is expected to be completed by March or April, and Stamper assured that students should start to get a feel for how the campus will look as soon as the end of this semester.
It’s reassuring to know that not only will the Tivoli building remain a fixture of CU Denver, but that it will soon be even better.
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