Denver’s premier public celebration of our city’s architecture and urban design—Doors Open Denver 2017—is scheduled for Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30!
WHAT IS DOORS OPEN DENVER?
Doors Open Denver is an annual two-day event that provides opportunities for residents and visitors to explore our city and learn about and connect with many of Denver’s unique spaces and high-profile, intriguing, and historic buildings and sites. Doors Open Denver tells the story of the past, present, and future of Denver’s built environment.
Doors Open Denver is the flagship event of the Denver Architectural Foundation. I’ve had the honor of serving on the DAF board of directors for the past several years, and helping organize Doors Open Denver has been a very rewarding experience.
At this year’s Doors Open Denver, there are 119 different sites and tours to choose from, including 68 Open Sites that are free and self-guided, and 51 Insider Tours that are fee-based and require pre-registration.
Insider Tour tickets went on sale on Monday, April 3 for Denver Architectural Foundation members, and tickets will be available for purchase by non-members starting Monday, April 17. If you become a new DAF member before April 17, you’ll receive an exclusive tour registration and purchase link. Insider Tour tickets sell quickly, so if you’re not already, join the DAF to have a chance to buy your tickets before non-members!
In addition to Open Sites and Insider Tours, there are many free cultural events and other fun activities going on as part of Doors Open Denver. Visit the Doors Open Denver website or use our handy Event Guide (PDF) for a complete list of things to see and do.
DOORS OPEN DENVER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Would you like to be a part of the Doors Open Denver volunteer team? There are numerous opportunities to volunteer at Open Sites throughout the weekend, so if you are looking for a chance to give back to your community and learn about some of Denver’s treasured spaces, please volunteer! Click here for the Doors Open Denver Sites Volunteer Signup website, and contact Kyle Long at [email protected] with your questions. Volunteers make Doors Open Denver possible, so please join us!
BOX CITY!
A very special part of Doors Open Denver is Box City. Box City is a free event for children—grades K-5—where participants learn about the process of urban development and the principles that make for sound architecture, design and planning. Children start with a Building Permit for their desired building type, make a draft sketch of their building in the Design Studio if they want, stop at the Hardware Store to get their cardboard and paper supplies, then head to the Construction Zone to make their Box City structure. After completing the Building Inspection process, participants head to the Box City street grid where an Urban Planner helps them select an appropriate building site. Finally, children finish the process by picking up their Certificate of Occupancy that includes a photo of them with their building. How fun is that!
Box City 2017 will be held on Saturday, April 29 in the atrium of the Wellington Webb Municipal Office Building at 15th and Court Place in Downtown Denver. Box City opens at 9:00 AM and last entry is at 1:00 PM. If you want to sign your kids up to participate in Box City, please visit the Box City registration page where you can review all the participating rules and instructions and reserve your tickets. Tickets are limited, so don’t delay! Walk-ins are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis after ticketholders have been admitted and if space is available. We also have a nice Box City flyer with all the details.
BOX CITY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Would you like to volunteer to work at Box City or donate boxes for the event? You can do that! We have a few Box City event volunteer positions left, so if you’re interested, please sign up here. If you’d like to donate clean cardboard boxes and tubes for Box City, please download and review this flyer for all the details.
TRANSPORTATION
The Denver Architectural Foundation strongly encourages the use of public transportation, biking, and walking for getting around Doors Open Denver. Also check out our special Doors Open Denver promotions from car2go and Denver B-cycle.
Tens of thousands of people annually participate in Doors Open Denver and it keeps getting bigger and better every year. Get out there and explore your city!
