As Auraria Higher Education Center leaders wrap up the Tivoli Reimagined program plan, Metropolitan State University of Denver employees can still provide final feedback on proposed renovations of the Tivoli Student Union.
The $85 million first phase would modernize high-traffic areas, expand study and gathering spaces, improve accessibility, and enhance campus connectivity, with no planned increase to student fees. AHEC incorporated survey responses from over 1,300 campus members since August and will share findings with the cross-institutional steering committee Friday.
In a presentation to the MSU Denver President’s Cabinet on March 19, Carl Meese, AHEC’s deputy chief of planning and sustainability, said the renovation is long overdue at the building, which was originally designed as a mall.
“This program plan looks to address about $30 million in deferred maintenance on the building, as well as how it’s used, where spaces are, and how to better design the interior spaces and exterior spaces of the building to meet the student, faculty and staff needs of the campus,” Meese said.
A conceptual rendering shows a general idea of what AHEC planners say the new atrium could become after renovations. Photo courtesy of AHEC
A conceptual rendering shows a design AHEC planners say could resemble the future plans for the Tivoli Student Union 9th Street entry. Photo courtesy of AHEC
A conceptual rendering shows a design AHEC planners say could resemble the future plans for the Tivoli Student Union Larimer Street entry. Photo courtesy of AHEC
Key designs of the plan include more visible entry points, improved accessibility, realigned food and retail facilities, and more workspaces and gathering areas. Meese and Auraria Campus Chief of Staff Sophia Tran shared a concept of a larger first-floor atrium with no floors above it, allowing for more natural light and connections to surrounding spaces.
Other ideas across two phases focus on repairing aging building systems, rethinking floor designs, renovating meeting and office spaces, and upgrading infrastructure and materials. None of the proposed designs are final.
While the final feedback stage of the project ends this week, AHEC encourages MSU Denver employees to review the draft plan and submit comments for consideration as the project evolves. AHEC will incorporate ideas and present the plan to the Auraria Executives Council and Board of Directors. If approved, the project will move forward as a capital construction request to the state, with potential funding decisions expected in a future legislative cycle.
MSU Denver President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., said the University is “all in.”
“It is an iconic building in the downtown area, and we as leaders of this campus alongside AHEC have sort of a historic responsibility to not let this building rot out at the core,” she said. “We can raise money for this historic building in a lot of different ways that will take that burden off the students, the faculty and everything else.”
