Gate Rubber Company And Morey Merchantile
The building was owned by Gates Rubber Company as a warehouse. For a time, it leased space to Morey Mercantile (bulging at the seams next door). The Mercantile was the largest grocery business in the west in terms of sales, territory and number of employees under the brand name Solitaire.
A Colorado Institution Moves In
The building was purchased by Joyce Meskis, the owner of the Tattered Cover Bookstore, a Denver institution. From this warehouse location and the building next door, the Tattered Cover shipped, received and warehoused their stock of books. The building was also home to the first official offices of the Wynkoop Brewing Company, owned by John Hickenlooper.
The Colorado Environmental Coalition Is Born
In 1997, John Powers (board member for the Colorado Environmental Coalition) worked with John Hickenlooper to allow the Colorado Environmental Coalition (now Conservation Colorado, The Alliance Center’s first tenant) to move into the historic warehouse in Lower Downtown Denver. During the next seven years, Powers negotiated for eight more nonprofit organizations to move in.
The Alliance For Sustainable Colorado Is Established
In 2004, John Powers, a longtime board member of the Colorado Environmental Coalition, and Janna Six co-founded the nonprofit Alliance for Sustainable Colorado (now The Alliance for Collective Action) and purchased the building (now The Alliance Center) from Tattered Cover. The vision was to create a physical hub where local public-interest groups could pool resources on projects. It would provide an incubator for collaboration offering traditionally tight-budgeted nonprofits an opportunity to share ideas with like-minded advocacy groups and reduce expenses.
Amendment 37, The Colorado Renewable Energy Requirement Initiative
Within the first few months of opening in 2004, The Alliance Center provided office and meeting space for the successful statewide citizens’ ballot initiative, which was the first voter-approved renewable energy portfolio standard in the US. The initiative required 10 percent of electricity from investor owned utilities be generated from renewable energy by 2020.
The Better Building Coalition Is Formed
Staff and partners created the Better Building Coalition to press the Colorado legislature to set high performance standards for publicly owned buildings.
Colorado Office Of Energy Management And Conservation: Energy Champion Award
The Center received the Energy Champion Award from Colorado Governor Owens’ Office of Energy Management and Conservation for our performance and efforts.
LEED Existing Buildings – Gold
For the first year of The Alliance’s ownership, the building underwent significant construction to convert the warehouse into office spaces, making liberal use of eco-friendly green building construction with high-tech concepts. The Alliance became the second building in the world to earn two US Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications—Existing Buildings Gold and Commercial Interiors Silver—while also earning U.S. EPA Energy Star Leader status.
USGBC’s National Leadership Award For Education By An Organization
The leadership awards celebrate the individuals and groups at the forefront of sustainability in the built environment. We received this for our on-site educational signage and tours covering key sustainability issues and green building solutions.
City Of Denver Mayor’s Design Award: It Ain’t Easy Being Green
These awards honor projects throughout the city for excellence in architecture, exterior design and place-making. The Alliance Center received it for our efforts using and promoting green building practices.
Environmental Leadership Program Gold Leader
Awarded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to companies that voluntarily go beyond regulatory compliance to reduce their impact on the environment. The Alliance Center has maintained our Gold Leader status (the highest designation) since 2008.
Wirth Chair Pioneer Of The New Energy Economy Award
Founder John Powers received the The Wirth Chair Pioneer of the New Energy Economy Award.
LEED Existing Buildings V2009 Gold Recertification
The Alliance Center achieved a LEED Gold recertification.
City Of Denver’s Showcase Project With The Department Of Energy’s Better Building Challenge
The Alliance Center’s renovation was chosen by the City of Denver to serve as its showcase project for the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, which is a federal initiative to make buildings 20 percent more energy efficient over the next decade. Click here to read about our project and how we decreased our per capita energy usage by over 49 percent.
LEED V4 Existing Buildings Operations + Maintenance Platinum
The Center was the first building in Colorado to obtain Platinum certification in any of LEED’s newest, and more stringent, v4 categories.
Achieved WELL Health-Safety Rating
The Center achieved the WELL Health-Safety Rating for our commitment to occupant wellness.
Restored Patio and Unveiled the Green Waves Garden
Before its revitalization, The Center's garden had fallen into disrepair. Previous plants had not survived in the space due to poor soil health and unsustainable watering needs. The selection of plants was not suitable for the sunken patio’s microclimate. Visitors will now find a diverse and colorful pollinator garden right in the heart of downtown Denver. The Green Waves Garden serves as a space to inspire solutions, foster engagement and allow visitors, tenants and members of the public to cross pollinate. It is a restorative amenity, both to the humans and pollinators who use it.
