1359 Court Pl
1359 Court Pl is a 15-story building in Greater Downtown Denver with 87% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 138 homes and scores it 90 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CO-1 · Screened 2026-09-19 · Strong candidate
Also addressed as 303 W Colfax Ave: Denver’s address records place both on this one footprint.
Where 1359 Court Pl is
Its block in Greater Downtown Denver, drawn from Denver's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 1359 Court Pl
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
Across its 14 residential floors this building carries 19,573 sq ft of windowless core — area that must be gutted, re-plumbed and sprinklered but can never be rented as an apartment.
Modeled conversion metrics for 1359 Court Pl, 2026-09-19.
| Suitability scoreStrong candidate | 90 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 175 ft aerial-survey height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 15 |
| Height bandsfloor plate by floor range, from the city's roof outlines | Floor 1: 25,082 sq ft · Floor 2: 22,179 sq ft · Floor 3: 19,127 sq ft · Floors 4–5: 18,774 sq ft · Floors 6–12: 8,938 sq ft · Floor 13: 6,304 sq ft · Floors 14–15: 636 sq ft |
| Floor platetypical floor, from the city outlines | 8,938 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 87% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 28 ft |
| Windowless coretypical floor; the building-wide total is in the text above | 0 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 138 |
| Conversion cost$360/sq ft all-in on 148,998 sq ft | $53.6M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $21.1M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantbelow the statutory cap | $8.3M |
| BuiltDenver does not publish a construction year with this data | — |
| ZoningCBD | D-C |
| Opportunity Zonenot in a 2018 designated tract | No |
The plan: window line, shape and floor rhythm
45 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 470 ft of exterior wall, and across 14 residential floors the building carries 6,244 ft of it in total, divided among the 138 homes this screen estimates.
Its plate is moderately compact at 0.51: a squarish plan, with enough perimeter for a conventional double-loaded corridor. How window line and plate shape are measured.
At the model’s 750 sq ft average, the plan works out at about 9.9 homes per floor. Its floors are not alike, though: the typical floor's deepest interior point is 28 ft from a facade, while its worst floor reaches 61 ft. The score follows the typical floor, so a podium that could not hold a bedroom does not by itself sink a slim tower above it — but it is there, and it is part of what would have to be drawn around.
Why 1359 Court Pl scores 90 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 94, Interior depth 100, Scale 92, Finance 60 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 1359 Court Pl. Points are the subscore times its weight.
| Component | Subscore | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight efficiency87% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90% | 94 | 45% | 42.2 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 28 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 100 | 25% | 25.0 |
| Scale138 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 92 | 15% | 13.8 |
| Financeremaining gap is 24% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0% | 60 | 15% | 9.0 |
Most of what it earns comes from daylight efficiency, and what holds it back most is finance, at 60 out of 100: remaining gap is 24% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0%.
What the conversion would cost
$360 per square foot all-in across 148,998 sq ft of converted floor, or $53.6M in total — about $389K for each of the 138 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 1359 Court Pl: base cost plus the code work a change of use triggers.
| Base conversion cost | $260/sq ft |
|---|---|
| Plumbing risers to every unit | $40/sq ft |
| Operable windows and glazing | $30/sq ft |
| Additional egress stair | $18/sq ft |
| Fire sprinklers (NFPA 13R) | $12/sq ft |
| All-in | $360/sq ft |
That cost is charged across every converted square foot, including the 19,573 sq ft of windowless core, which has to be gutted, re-plumbed and sprinklered like the rest of the building and then earns nothing. Against it the model sets a completed value of $236K a home, which for 138 homes is $32.6M.
What would have to be true
A $21.1M gap before any grant, $12.8M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 25% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $21.1M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 138 homes finishing at $389K rather than the $236K the model assumes — 65% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $360 to $219 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $8.3M moves that threshold to $329K a home. That is still above the $236K assumed, leaving $12.8M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 1359 Court Pl, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 1359 Court Pl, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 25% downto 560 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Conversion cost per square foot | 33% downto $174/sq ft |
| Completed value per home | 39% upto $329K |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 1359 Court Pl re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Greater Downtown Denver
1359 Court Pl ranks 25th of the 214 buildings screened here, against a median score of 72.
Its floor plate is better lit than 64% of them, and shallower than 98% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 141st largest by estimated homes. The full survey of all 214 buildings ranks and maps every one of them, and the list by address links each to its own page.
Within CBD and the D-C zone
11th of 75 in CBD, 8th of 72 zoned D-C — the comparison that shares its rules, rents and streets.
Denver places 75 of the screened buildings in CBD. 1359 Court Pl ranks 11th of them against a median score of 71. 40 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 56 ft from a facade against this building’s 28 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 33,698 homes. The group’s top scorer is 918 17th St, at 97.
72 of the screened buildings are zoned D-C. 1359 Court Pl ranks 8th of them against a median score of 73. 39 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 57 ft from a facade against this building’s 28 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 32,881 homes. The group’s top scorer is 721 19th St, at 95.
Its nearest match in size: 1820 N Broadway
The screened building closest to 1359 Court Pl in converted floor area is 1820 N Broadway: 154,489 sq ft over 15 stories, against 148,998 sq ft over 15 here.
The two land within a few points of each other — 90 here, 92 there — so at this size the screen reads them as much the same prospect. On the money they sit in the same place: each falls short even with the modeled grant. The two stand about 2,200 ft apart.
The city's own study picked this building too
In August 2023 Denver and the architecture firm Gensler rated 21 downtown office buildings good candidates for conversion to housing and published the top 16 by address. One of them resolves to this building: “303 W. Colfax Ave”.
That is an outside opinion reached by different means — architects reading plans, not a model reading outlines — and this screen agrees with it: 1359 Court Pl scores 90 out of 100 here, in the same top tier. The difference is the money rather than the geometry: at default assumptions the gap here is $21.1M, which no modeled RESIDE grant closes. A study asking whether a building can be converted and a model asking whether it would pencil are answering different questions.
Mile High CRE, Study Identifies 21 Downtown Denver Office Buildings as Good Candidates for Conversion. The full comparison across all 16 is on the Greater Downtown Denver page.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 1359 Court Pl $8.3M, on the assumption it qualifies. Whether it does, no published dataset can say.
That figure assumes the building meets the Act’s vacant-and-abandoned test, which turns on code-enforcement and receivership records no city publishes.
It does not sit in a 2018 designated Opportunity Zone, so it would not draw that Section 201 priority.
Other buildings screened near 1359 Court Pl
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 210 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 333 W Colfax Ave6 stories · 100% daylit · 33 estimated homes · scores 85/100 (Strong candidate)about 210 ft away
- 320 W Colfax Ave7 stories · 57% daylit · 215 estimated homes · scores 32/100 (Marginal)about 430 ft away
- 440 14th St19 stories · 92% daylit · 254 estimated homes · scores 94/100 (Strong candidate)about 490 ft away
- 1437 N Bannock St16 stories · 89% daylit · 496 estimated homes · scores 78/100 (Strong candidate)about 500 ft away
A screen, not a feasibility study, from outlines and heights rather than plans: the method and how to correct a figure. If you know this building’s interior, you know what this model cannot see.