Identifying future programming use and remodel options for Aspen’s historic community asset
The Armory Reimagined: Respecting history, shaping the future.
As part of the process to redevelop Armory Hall, city staff has met with Aspen City Council nine times over the past two years, with the most recent work session held on May 28, 2024.
Council directed staff to proceed with the design process on the Armory so that a condensed timeline can be implemented.
City staff and consultants in the summer and fall of 2023 are conducting a “test fit,” which is part of concept planning to determine howContinue reading
Identifying future programming use and remodel options for Aspen’s historic community asset
The Armory Reimagined: Respecting history, shaping the future.
As part of the process to redevelop Armory Hall, city staff has met with Aspen City Council nine times over the past two years, with the most recent work session held on May 28, 2024.
Council directed staff to proceed with the design process on the Armory so that a condensed timeline can be implemented.
City staff and consultants in the summer and fall of 2023 are conducting a “test fit,” which is part of concept planning to determine how much square footage is necessary for different types of uses.
Concepts and floor plans were presented at an open house held at the Armory on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Over 200 people gathered in the space, formerly known as City Hall, to review preliminary concepts, ask questions of the design team, and provide input.
The project’s current direction is based on extensive public outreach and community engagement, which included two online questionnaires, an open house, two focus group meetings and surveys. Staff heard overwhelmingly that the community needs a place to gather, that the Armory should be the heart of town, a community living room with the ability to eat, experience entertainment, shop or just hang out.
A design contract with CCY Architects was approved in March 2024. Based upon public engagement results, floor plans have been developed, consultations with regulators have occurred, and an initial operational budget based on the proposed programming is in place.
Public Engagement
City Council remains committed to public involvement. Following the October 2023 open house showing some initial “test fit” of programming options within the building to see how much space is needed for different uses, additional outreach is planned as the design progresses. An open house at the Armory is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31st. The open house will run from 4-7 p.m. located at the Armory at 130 S. Galena St.
Based on past community outreach, the architects have developed two concepts for the building. The public is invited to learn more about how the concepts were developed. The consultant team will visually display the design concepts and will be on hand to discuss.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Project Information:
The Armory sits on a 6,000 sq. ft. lot in Aspen’s downtown Commercial Core Historic District, adjacent to Conner Park. It is located within the Public zone district and is designated as a historic resource. The City has allocated money for planning the redesign of the project.
Next steps will be to determine funding options to undertake the remodel.
The City recognizes the importance of community use as an element of future programming and remodel options.
Past Outreach and Engagement:
In 2015, the city initiated an advisory ballot question to gauge the electorate’s preference for the Armory site as a future community use or city offices; the community use narrowly passed. Once again in 2018, the election cycle included a ballot question presenting two locations for a new city hall; the results confirmed a preference for the Rio Grande/Galena Plaza site with a 57 to 43 percent margin.
Looking to the past to shape the future
For many decades, the Armory served as Aspen’s City Hall, though many departments recently relocated to the new city hall facility at 427 Rio Grande Place. The facility currently houses the utility billing and IT departments. As the City of Aspen organization prepares for the next phase of the Armory’s history, we are engaged in community discussions about the future possibilities for the building’s programming use and remodel options, as well as the strategies necessary to achieve proposed goals.
Timeline:
July 31, 2024: Open House at the Armory
August 18, 2024: City Council Work Session for the team to present on design concepts.
It is anticipated that construction will start in 2026.
6-05-23 WorkSession FollowUp Memo.docx (2.56 MB) (docx)
