500 E 19th Ave
500 E 19th Ave is a 6-story building in Greater Downtown Denver with 98% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 172 homes and scores it 95 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CO-1 · Screened 2026-10-04 · Strong candidate
Also addressed as 530 E 19th Ave, 540 E 19th Ave, 550 E 19th Ave, 1897 N Pearl St, 1864 N Pennsylvania St, 1870 N Pennsylvania St, 1880 N Pennsylvania St and 1890 N Pennsylvania St: Denver’s address records place all 9 on this one footprint.
Where 500 E 19th Ave is
Its block in Greater Downtown Denver, drawn from Denver's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 500 E 19th Ave
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
Every floor carries 753 sq ft of windowless core — area that must be gutted, re-plumbed and sprinklered but can never be rented as an apartment. Across 5 residential floors that is 3,764 sq ft of cost carrying no revenue.
Modeled conversion metrics for 500 E 19th Ave, 2026-10-04.
| Suitability scoreStrong candidate | 95 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 68 ft aerial-survey height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 6 |
| Floor plateper floor, from the city footprint | 33,160 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 98% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 41 ft |
| Windowless coreper floor — renovated but never rentable | 753 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 172 |
| Conversion cost$360/sq ft all-in on 165,799 sq ft | $59.7M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $19.1M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantat the statutory per-award cap | $10.0M |
| BuiltDenver does not publish a construction year with this data | — |
| ZoningNorth Capitol Hill | R-4-X |
| Opportunity Zonenot in a 2018 designated tract | No |
The plan: window line, shape and floor rhythm
34 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 1,167 ft of exterior wall, and across 5 residential floors the building carries 5,835 ft of it in total, divided among the 172 homes this screen estimates.
Its plate is elongated at 0.31: a slab or an L, which is why so much of the floor lies within reach of a window: the outline buys daylight that a square plan of the same area would not. How window line and plate shape are measured.
At the model’s 750 sq ft average, the plan works out at about 34.4 homes per floor, repeated on every residential floor, since this building's outline does not change as it rises.
Why 500 E 19th Ave scores 95 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 100, Interior depth 97, Scale 100, Finance 75 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 500 E 19th Ave. Points are the subscore times its weight.
| Component | Subscore | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight efficiency98% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90% | 100 | 45% | 45.0 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 41 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 97 | 25% | 24.2 |
| Scale172 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 100 | 15% | 15.0 |
| Financeremaining gap is 15% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0% | 75 | 15% | 11.2 |
Most of what it earns comes from daylight efficiency, and what holds it back most is finance, at 75 out of 100: remaining gap is 15% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0%.
What the conversion would cost
$360 per square foot all-in across 165,799 sq ft of converted floor, or $59.7M in total — about $347K for each of the 172 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 500 E 19th 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 3,764 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 172 homes is $40.6M.
What would have to be true
A $19.1M gap before any grant, $9.1M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 18% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $19.1M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 172 homes finishing at $347K rather than the $236K the model assumes — 47% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $360 to $245 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $10.0M moves that threshold to $289K a home. That is still above the $236K assumed, leaving $9.1M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 500 E 19th Ave, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 500 E 19th Ave, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 18% downto 614 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Conversion cost per square foot | 21% downto $205/sq ft |
| Circulation efficiency | 22% upto 98% |
| Completed value per home | 22% upto $289K |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 500 E 19th Ave re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Greater Downtown Denver
500 E 19th Ave ranks 5th of the 208 buildings screened here, against a median score of 73.
Its floor plate is better lit than 89% of them, and shallower than 81% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 120th largest by estimated homes. The full survey of all 208 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 R-4-X zone
3rd of 41 in North Capitol Hill, 1st of 4 zoned R-4-X — the comparison that shares its rules, rents and streets.
Denver places 41 of the screened buildings in North Capitol Hill. 500 E 19th Ave ranks 3rd 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 41 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 8,820 homes. The group’s top scorer is 1776 N Grant St, at 97.
4 of the screened buildings are zoned R-4-X. 500 E 19th Ave ranks 1st of them against a median score of 90, the top score in the group. 3 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 43 ft from a facade against this building’s 41 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 717 homes.
Its nearest match in size: 1818 N Ogden St
The screened building closest to 500 E 19th Ave in converted floor area is 1818 N Ogden St: 170,449 sq ft over 7 stories, against 165,799 sq ft over 6 here.
500 E 19th Ave scores 95 to its 47, and with the size held roughly equal most of that lead comes from daylight efficiency: 100 out of 100 here, 55 there (68% 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 1,700 ft apart.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 500 E 19th 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 500 E 19th Ave
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 340 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 1801 N Pennsylvania St5 stories · 100% daylit · 89 estimated homes · scores 91/100 (Strong candidate)about 340 ft away
- 400 E 19th Ave6 stories · 100% daylit · 76 estimated homes · scores 89/100 (Strong candidate)about 410 ft away
- 480 E 20th Ave6 stories · 95% daylit · 189 estimated homes · scores 93/100 (Strong candidate)about 470 ft away
- 1780 N Pennsylvania St5 stories · 100% daylit · 52 estimated homes · scores 87/100 (Strong candidate)about 490 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.