1551 Wewatta St
1551 Wewatta St is a 13-story building in Greater Downtown Denver with 71% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 253 homes and scores it 60 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CO-1 · Screened 2026-09-19 · Worth a feasibility study
Where 1551 Wewatta St is
Its block in Greater Downtown Denver, drawn from Denver's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 1551 Wewatta St
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
Across its 12 residential floors this building carries 96,948 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 1551 Wewatta St, 2026-09-19.
| Suitability scoreWorth a feasibility study | 60 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 152 ft aerial-survey height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 13 |
| Height bandsfloor plate by floor range, from the city's roof outlines | Floors 1–4: 36,094 sq ft · Floor 5: 28,337 sq ft · Floors 6–12: 27,802 sq ft · Floor 13: 3,833 sq ft |
| Floor platetypical floor, from the city outlines | 27,802 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 71% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 60 ft |
| Windowless coretypical floor; the building-wide total is in the text above | 7,377 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 253 |
| Conversion cost$360/sq ft all-in on 335,064 sq ft | $120.6M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $60.9M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantat the statutory per-award cap | $10.0M |
| BuiltDenver does not publish a construction year with this data | — |
| ZoningUnion Station | PUD |
| Opportunity Zonenot in a 2018 designated tract | No |
The plan: window line, shape and floor rhythm
35 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 736 ft of exterior wall, and across 12 residential floors the building carries 8,792 ft of it in total, divided among the 253 homes this screen estimates.
Its plate is moderately compact at 0.65: 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 21.1 homes per floor. Its floors are not alike, though: the typical floor's deepest interior point is 60 ft from a facade, while its worst floor reaches 82 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 1551 Wewatta St scores 60 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 62, Interior depth 51, Scale 100, Finance 30 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 1551 Wewatta St. Points are the subscore times its weight.
| Component | Subscore | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight efficiency71% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90% | 62 | 45% | 28.0 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 60 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 51 | 25% | 12.7 |
| Scale253 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 100 | 15% | 15.0 |
| Financeremaining gap is 42% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0% | 30 | 15% | 4.4 |
Most of what it earns comes from daylight efficiency, and what holds it back most is finance, at 30 out of 100: remaining gap is 42% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0%.
What the conversion would cost
$360 per square foot all-in across 335,064 sq ft of converted floor, or $120.6M in total — about $477K for each of the 253 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 1551 Wewatta 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 96,948 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 253 homes is $59.7M.
What would have to be true
A $60.9M gap before any grant, $50.9M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 46% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $60.9M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 253 homes finishing at $477K rather than the $236K the model assumes — 102% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $360 to $178 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $10.0M moves that threshold to $437K a home. That is still above the $236K assumed, leaving $50.9M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 1551 Wewatta St, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 1551 Wewatta St, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 46% downto 406 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Conversion cost per square foot | 58% downto $108/sq ft |
| Completed value per home | 85% upto $437K |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 1551 Wewatta St re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Greater Downtown Denver
1551 Wewatta St ranks 169th of the 214 buildings screened here, against a median score of 72.
Its floor plate is better lit than 16% of them, and shallower than 44% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 85th 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 Union Station and the PUD zone
43rd of 55 in Union Station, 15th of 21 zoned PUD — the comparison that shares its rules, rents and streets.
Denver places 55 of the screened buildings in Union Station. 1551 Wewatta St ranks 43rd of them against a median score of 69. 23 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 61 ft from a facade against this building’s 60 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 13,167 homes. The group’s top scorer is 1600 17th St, at 95.
21 of the screened buildings are zoned PUD. 1551 Wewatta St ranks 15th of them against a median score of 77. 12 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 49 ft from a facade against this building’s 60 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 5,808 homes. The group’s top scorer is 300 E 17th Ave, at 96.
Its nearest match in size: 1989 16th St
The screened building closest to 1551 Wewatta St in converted floor area is 1989 16th St: 336,178 sq ft over 13 stories, against 335,064 sq ft over 13 here.
The two land within a few points of each other — 60 here, 59 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 600 ft apart.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 1551 Wewatta St $10.0M, 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 1551 Wewatta St
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 260 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 1550 Wewatta St13 stories · 79% daylit · 228 estimated homes · scores 66/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 260 ft away
- 1485 Delgany St6 stories · 99% daylit · 35 estimated homes · scores 85/100 (Strong candidate)about 310 ft away
- 1900 16th St23 stories · 74% daylit · 417 estimated homes · scores 62/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 380 ft away
- 1781 15th St10 stories · 69% daylit · 248 estimated homes · scores 51/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 380 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.