Developers and city officials got together today for a groundbreaking at the historic Tammen Hall at 19th Avenue and Ogden Street, which is set to become 49 affordable housing units for senior citizens. There will be a couple of options for residents as 43 of the units will be one-bedroom units while the other six will have two bedrooms.

For Councilman Albus Brooks, this project represents a great use of adaptive revitalization for a historically protected building in his district, particularly as this part of Denver becomes more affluent, younger and whiter.

“One of the things I’m a big fan of is creating a diverse, and eclectic neighborhood and this is a part of it. It’s saying, ‘Hey seniors, we want you right here in the heart of the city in a historic building that’s revitalized,'” Brooks said.

Greg Glade, principal partner and co-founder of developer MGL Partners, said the project was challenging given the building’s designation as a historically protected building, in addition to increased construction costs in recent years.

“When you’re preserving a hundred-year-old building, to then bring that up to code and bring in all the modern amenities, it’s a delicate balance,” he said.

Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) helped the project financially with federal and state housing credits in addition to $10.6 million in private activity bonds, according to a CHFA representative.

Tammen Hall was built in 1930 and was formerly a dormitory for nurses who worked in the old Children’s Hospital. Suzy Jaeger, a current vice president of Children’s Hospital who was at the groundbreaking, said she was excited to see it serve a different group of different residents this time.