Renovations Begin At Lakewood Historic Site

LAKEWOOD, CO — Renovations are set to begin on the historic Hospice of Saint John, the City of Lakewood announced Wednesday. The city designated the hospice as a historic site last summer, which qualified it for state historic tax credits that are helping to preserve the buildings — known as Eiber Village at Garrison Station.

The remodeling began this week, and is set to be completed in the summer of 2020, the city said.

Measures will be taken to maintain sustainability and affordability for seniors, city officials said. The structures and surrounding gardens will be saved at the site, 1310-1325 Everett Court.

“On behalf of the Lakewood Historic Preservation Commission, we are very pleased to see this exciting project taking shape," said Jeanne Ramsay, chair of the Lakewood Historic Preservation Commission, in a statement. "This project is a great way to showcase an important piece of Lakewood's history while at the same time making it possible for the site to continue to serve our residents. The conversion of this facility to affordable senior housing is a perfect reuse of our local historic resources without losing the original character and significance the site once held.”

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Founded by Father Paul von Lobkowitz, the Hospice of Saint John was the second hospice in the country to open its doors, and "served countless people from all walks of life" from 1977 to 2013, city officials said. The hospice and Von Lobkowitz were recognized by all levels of government for their community and hospice movement contributions.

“The Eiber Neighborhood Association is thrilled to see Eiber Village underway," said Nicole Bopp, president of the Eiber Neighborhood Association. "In rehabilitating the buildings of the former Hospice of Saint John, this project honors the unique history of our neighborhood, preserves the embodied energy of existing structures and helps maintain the neighborhood context while providing quality housing. We hope this project can serve as a model for true win-win development in Eiber."

Sustainable features at Eiber Village will include

• Reuse of three existing buildings and many existing on-site gardens.
• Future accessibility to the Garrison light rail station with the construction of a shared use path adjacent to the site.
• Salvage and reuse of many existing materials for use in other buildings instead of demolishing structures and disposing of the material in a landfill. As an example, some of the fiberglass insulation was provided to a local couple who is building their own home on another site.
• Existing cabinets, casework and miscellaneous interior finish items will be reused or recycled
• Conversion of the property from natural gas to all electric service, eliminating the burning of gas in boilers and furnaces for heating.
• Low-water-use landscaping and plumbing fixtures.
• Free electric vehicle charging stations.
• Demand management systems that provide more efficient electricity use.

The redevelopment team for the project is led by Everett Court Partners, which is a partnership among Hartman Ely Investments, Giving Tree Partnerships, Metro West Housing Solutions and Raymond James Tax Credit Funds. Additional financing has been provided by Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Jefferson County Community Development, Colorado Department of Local Affairs and Commerce Bank. Affordable housing tax credits are also a key part of the $14 million redevelopment, city officials said. Daniel G. Morgan and Associates and Proximity Green provided tax credit and finance consulting services and Faegre Baker Daniels is legal counsel for Everett Court Partners. Palace Construction is the general contractor and William Brummett Architects is the architect.