1525 N Sherman St
1525 N Sherman St is a 10-story building in Greater Downtown Denver with 87% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 130 homes and scores it 86 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CO-1 · Screened 2026-09-19 · Strong candidate
Where 1525 N Sherman St is
Its block in Greater Downtown Denver, drawn from Denver's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 1525 N Sherman St
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
Across its 9 residential floors this building carries 18,717 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 1525 N Sherman St, 2026-09-19.
| Suitability scoreStrong candidate | 86 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 119 ft aerial-survey height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 10 |
| Height bandsfloor plate by floor range, from the city's roof outlines | Floors 1–2: 19,366 sq ft · Floors 3–8: 17,645 sq ft · Floors 9–10: 7,853 sq ft |
| Floor platetypical floor, from the city outlines | 17,645 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 87% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 45 ft |
| Windowless coretypical floor; the building-wide total is in the text above | 2,626 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 130 |
| Conversion cost$360/sq ft all-in on 140,944 sq ft | $50.7M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $20.1M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantbelow the statutory cap | $7.8M |
| BuiltDenver does not publish a construction year with this data | — |
| ZoningNorth Capitol Hill | D-C |
| Opportunity Zonenot in a 2018 designated tract | No |
The plan: window line, shape and floor rhythm
37 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 569 ft of exterior wall, and across 9 residential floors the building carries 4,863 ft of it in total, divided among the 130 homes this screen estimates.
Its plate is moderately compact at 0.68: 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 14.4 homes per floor. Its floors are not alike, though: the typical floor's deepest interior point is 45 ft from a facade, while its worst floor reaches 48 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 1525 N Sherman St scores 86 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 93, Interior depth 86, Scale 87, Finance 60 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 1525 N Sherman St. 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% | 93 | 45% | 42.0 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 45 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 86 | 25% | 21.6 |
| Scale130 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 87 | 15% | 13.0 |
| 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 140,944 sq ft of converted floor, or $50.7M in total — about $390K for each of the 130 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 1525 N Sherman St: 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 18,717 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 130 homes is $30.7M.
What would have to be true
A $20.1M gap before any grant, $12.3M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 25% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $20.1M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 130 homes finishing at $390K rather than the $236K the model assumes — 65% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $360 to $218 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $7.8M moves that threshold to $330K a home. That is still above the $236K assumed, leaving $12.3M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 1525 N Sherman St, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 1525 N Sherman St, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 25% downto 565 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Conversion cost per square foot | 33% downto $173/sq ft |
| Completed value per home | 40% upto $330K |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 1525 N Sherman St re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Greater Downtown Denver
1525 N Sherman St ranks 49th of the 214 buildings screened here, against a median score of 72.
Its floor plate is better lit than 63% of them, and shallower than 75% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 145th 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 North Capitol Hill and the D-C zone
18th of 41 in North Capitol Hill, 13th of 72 zoned D-C — the comparison that shares its rules, rents and streets.
Denver places 41 of the screened buildings in North Capitol Hill. 1525 N Sherman St ranks 18th of them against a median score of 85. 32 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 47 ft from a facade against this building’s 45 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 8,820 homes. The group’s top scorer is 1776 N Grant St, at 97.
72 of the screened buildings are zoned D-C. 1525 N Sherman St ranks 13th 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 45 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: 1510 16th St
The screened building closest to 1525 N Sherman St in converted floor area is 1510 16th St: 139,025 sq ft over 11 stories, against 140,944 sq ft over 10 here.
1525 N Sherman St scores 86 to its 73, and with the size held roughly equal most of that lead comes from interior depth: 86 out of 100 here, 48 there (deepest interior point 61 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft). On the money they sit in the same place: each falls short even with the modeled grant. The two stand about 5,400 ft apart.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 1525 N Sherman St $7.8M, 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 1525 N Sherman St
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 230 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 201 E Colfax Ave6 stories · 86% daylit · 58 estimated homes · scores 71/100 (Strong candidate)about 230 ft away
- 1575 N Sherman St11 stories · 88% daylit · 96 estimated homes · scores 78/100 (Strong candidate)about 320 ft away
- 1580 N Lincoln St13 stories · 82% daylit · 147 estimated homes · scores 73/100 (Strong candidate)about 350 ft away
- 1550 N Broadway24 stories · 75% daylit · 534 estimated homes · scores 56/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 480 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.