1820 N Broadway
1820 N Broadway is a 15-story building in Greater Downtown Denver with 91% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 150 homes and scores it 92 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CO-1 · Screened 2026-09-19 · Strong candidate
Where 1820 N Broadway is
Its block in Greater Downtown Denver, drawn from Denver's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 1820 N Broadway
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
Every floor carries 939 sq ft of windowless core — area that must be gutted, re-plumbed and sprinklered but can never be rented as an apartment. Across 14 residential floors that is 13,151 sq ft of cost carrying no revenue.
Modeled conversion metrics for 1820 N Broadway, 2026-09-19.
| Suitability scoreStrong candidate | 92 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 177 ft aerial-survey height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 15 |
| Floor plateper floor, from the city footprint | 11,035 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 91% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 45 ft |
| Windowless coreper floor — renovated but never rentable | 939 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 150 |
| Conversion cost$360/sq ft all-in on 154,489 sq ft | $55.6M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $20.2M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantbelow the statutory cap | $9.0M |
| 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
47 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 500 ft of exterior wall, and across 14 residential floors the building carries 6,998 ft of it in total, divided among the 150 homes this screen estimates.
Its plate is moderately compact at 0.56: 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 10.7 homes per floor, repeated on every residential floor, since this building's outline does not change as it rises.
Why 1820 N Broadway scores 92 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 100, Interior depth 87, Scale 100, Finance 66 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 1820 N Broadway. Points are the subscore times its weight.
| Component | Subscore | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight efficiency91% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90% | 100 | 45% | 45.0 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 45 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 87 | 25% | 21.8 |
| Scale150 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 100 | 15% | 15.0 |
| Financeremaining gap is 20% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0% | 66 | 15% | 10.0 |
Most of what it earns comes from daylight efficiency, and what holds it back most is finance, at 66 out of 100: remaining gap is 20% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0%.
What the conversion would cost
$360 per square foot all-in across 154,489 sq ft of converted floor, or $55.6M in total — about $371K for each of the 150 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 1820 N Broadway: 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 13,151 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 150 homes is $35.4M.
What would have to be true
A $20.2M gap before any grant, $11.2M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 22% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $20.2M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 150 homes finishing at $371K rather than the $236K the model assumes — 57% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $360 to $229 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $9.0M moves that threshold to $311K a home. That is still above the $236K assumed, leaving $11.2M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 1820 N Broadway, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 1820 N Broadway, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 22% downto 583 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Conversion cost per square foot | 28% downto $187/sq ft |
| Completed value per home | 32% upto $311K |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 1820 N Broadway re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Greater Downtown Denver
1820 N Broadway ranks 18th of the 214 buildings screened here, against a median score of 72.
Its floor plate is better lit than 79% of them, and shallower than 75% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 134th 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
6th of 41 in North Capitol Hill, 7th 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. 1820 N Broadway ranks 6th 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. 1820 N Broadway ranks 7th 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: 1359 Court Pl
The screened building closest to 1820 N Broadway in converted floor area is 1359 Court Pl: 148,998 sq ft over 15 stories, against 154,489 sq ft over 15 here.
The two land within a few points of each other — 92 here, 90 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.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 1820 N Broadway $9.0M, 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 1820 N Broadway
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 240 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 1770 N Broadway21 stories · 88% daylit · already an apartment buildingabout 240 ft away
- 1801 N Broadway20 stories · 84% daylit · 232 estimated homes · scores 77/100 (Strong candidate)about 240 ft away
- 321 17th St20 stories · 84% daylit · 321 estimated homes · scores 68/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 410 ft away
- 1860 N Lincoln St17 stories · 72% daylit · 287 estimated homes · scores 60/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 430 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.