201 W Colfax Ave
201 W Colfax Ave is a 16-story building in Greater Downtown Denver with 58% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 487 homes and scores it 38 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CO-1 · Screened 2026-09-19 · Marginal
Where 201 W Colfax Ave is
Its block in Greater Downtown Denver, drawn from Denver's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 201 W Colfax Ave
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
Across its 15 residential floors this building carries 325,144 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 201 W Colfax Ave, 2026-09-19.
| Suitability scoreMarginal | 38 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 196 ft aerial-survey height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 16 |
| Height bandsfloor plate by floor range, from the city's roof outlines | Floors 1–4: 89,902 sq ft · Floor 5: 84,344 sq ft · Floor 6: 51,839 sq ft · Floor 7: 50,675 sq ft · Floors 8–10: 43,554 sq ft · Floors 11–14: 40,735 sq ft · Floors 15–16: 16,195 sq ft |
| Floor platetypical floor, from the city outlines | 40,735 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 58% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 72 ft |
| Windowless coretypical floor; the building-wide total is in the text above | 14,426 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 487 |
| Conversion cost$360/sq ft all-in on 782,553 sq ft | $281.7M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $166.8M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantat the statutory per-award cap | $10.0M |
| 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
32 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 881 ft of exterior wall, and across 15 residential floors the building carries 15,588 ft of it in total, divided among the 487 homes this screen estimates.
Its plate is moderately compact at 0.66: 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 32.5 homes per floor. Its floors are not alike, though: the typical floor's deepest interior point is 72 ft from a facade, while its worst floor reaches 133 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 201 W Colfax Ave scores 38 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 37, Interior depth 20, Scale 100, Finance 7 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 201 W Colfax Ave. Points are the subscore times its weight.
| Component | Subscore | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight efficiency58% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90% | 37 | 45% | 16.6 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 72 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 20 | 25% | 5.1 |
| Scale487 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 100 | 15% | 15.0 |
| Financeremaining gap is 56% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0% | 7 | 15% | 1.1 |
Most of what it earns comes from daylight efficiency, and what holds it back most is finance, at 7 out of 100: remaining gap is 56% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0%.
What the conversion would cost
$360 per square foot all-in across 782,553 sq ft of converted floor, or $281.7M in total — about $578K for each of the 487 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 201 W Colfax Ave: 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 325,144 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 487 homes is $114.9M.
What would have to be true
A $166.8M gap before any grant, $156.8M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 58% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $166.8M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 487 homes finishing at $578K rather than the $236K the model assumes — 145% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $360 to $147 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $10.0M moves that threshold to $558K a home. That is still above the $236K assumed, leaving $156.8M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 201 W Colfax Ave, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 201 W Colfax Ave, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 58% downto 318 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Conversion cost per square foot | 77% downto $60/sq ft |
| Completed value per home | 136% upto $558K |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 201 W Colfax Ave re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Greater Downtown Denver
201 W Colfax Ave ranks 202nd of the 214 buildings screened here, against a median score of 72.
Its floor plate is better lit than 3% of them, and shallower than 9% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 40th 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
69th of 75 in CBD, 70th of 72 zoned D-C — the comparison that shares its rules, rents and streets.
Denver places 75 of the screened buildings in CBD. 201 W Colfax Ave ranks 69th 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 72 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. 201 W Colfax Ave ranks 70th 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 72 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: 899 N Bannock St
The screened building closest to 201 W Colfax Ave in converted floor area is 899 N Bannock St: 791,542 sq ft over 17 stories, against 782,553 sq ft over 16 here.
201 W Colfax Ave scores 38 to its 67, and with the size held roughly equal most of that shortfall comes from daylight efficiency: 37 out of 100 here, 67 there (74% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90%). On the money they sit in the same place: each falls short even with the modeled grant. The two stand about 3,600 ft apart.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 201 W Colfax Ave $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 201 W Colfax Ave
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 430 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 144 W Colfax Ave5 stories · 97% daylit · 58 estimated homes · scores 85/100 (Strong candidate)about 430 ft away
- 200 16th St20 stories · 78% daylit · 1,283 estimated homes · scores 64/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 480 ft away
- 101 W Colfax Ave14 stories · 66% daylit · 406 estimated homes · scores 35/100 (Marginal)about 530 ft away
- 1359 Court Pl15 stories · 87% daylit · 138 estimated homes · scores 90/100 (Strong candidate)about 550 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.