This building
in the Cherry Creek area of Denver is the home of the Young Americans Bank,
Young Ameritowne/ International Towne and the Young Americans Education
Foundation. Founded by the late cable television pioneer, Bill Daniels, the
Young Americans Bank is a special institution that allows youngsters up to the
age of 21 to hold accounts in a bank open solely to them.
The building
is organized around a central, two-story entry space. The first floor houses a
circular bank lobby, visually open to the two main streets on which the
building fronts, First Avenue and Monroe Street. Foundation offices are located
on the south side of the entry.
The second
floor contains Young Ameritowne and International Towne, unique educational
environments where fifth and eighth graders participate in role-playing
exercises to learn the nuances of government and commerce. Young Ameritowne,
for fifth graders, has storefronts around a town square. International Towne, for eighth graders, has
enclosed international “regions” around a circular meeting space
A parking
garage for 84 cars, which is carefully screened from the street, extends partly
under the first floor and adjoins a basement. To maximize the use of the very
tight urban site, an 8,000 SF open-air activity deck was placed over the garage
and connected to the main building by bridges.
38,000 SF
