sustainability initiative

The Blackstone: Exterior Restoration and Lighting Highlights

Built between 1908 and 1910, The Blackstone is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  In order to preserve its architectural integrity, The Blackstone was renovated as a
“certified historic rehabilitation” in 1999 after being acquired by Sage Hospitality, a Denver based hotel management company.  Renovations were in accordance with preservation guidelines established by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.

On the exterior of The Blackstone—the primary historic facades of the 23-story landmark have been fully retained and restored including tuckpointing of the brick and refurbishing the hotel’s ornate terra cotta cladding. Over 10,000 individual pieces of decorative, glazed white terra cotta were preserved or recast. The hotel’s rooftop parapet was completely reconstructed to replicate the original and to incorporate electrical conduits for a series of 30 striking cast aluminum post lamps that outline and illuminate the roofline. The lamps had
been removed at some point in the building’s history and now serve as a luminous crown for The Blackstone again.

There was also a full replacement of the brick on all four corners of the building, which included 3 different brick colors that had to be specifically matched so the new corners would blend seamlessly with the original brick of the building.  Around 150 of the lintels in the hotel had to be replaced and four monumental exterior lanterns had to be stripped of many layers of paint so their original cast detail could shine through.