530 E 20th Ave
530 E 20th Ave is a 7-story building in Greater Downtown Denver with 100% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 59 homes and scores it 88 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CO-1 · Screened 2026-09-19 · Strong candidate
Also addressed as 550 E 20th Ave: Denver’s address records place both on this one footprint.
Where 530 E 20th Ave is
Its block in Greater Downtown Denver, drawn from Denver's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 530 E 20th Ave
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
This footprint has no windowless core at all: every point on the floor plate is within 35 ft of a facade, which is unusual and is the main reason it scores as well as it does.
Modeled conversion metrics for 530 E 20th Ave, 2026-09-19.
| Suitability scoreStrong candidate | 88 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 83 ft aerial-survey height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 7 |
| Height bandsfloor plate by floor range, from the city's roof outlines | Floors 1–5: 13,168 sq ft · Floor 6: 2,131 sq ft · Floor 7: 1,009 sq ft |
| Floor platetypical floor, from the city outlines | 13,168 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 100% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 28 ft |
| Windowless coretypical floor; the building-wide total is in the text above | 0 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 59 |
| Conversion cost$360/sq ft all-in on 55,812 sq ft | $20.1M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $6.2M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantbelow the statutory cap | $3.5M |
| 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
57 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 732 ft of exterior wall, and across 6 residential floors the building carries 3,343 ft of it in total, divided among the 59 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 9.8 homes per floor, repeated on every residential floor, since this building's outline does not change as it rises.
Why 530 E 20th Ave scores 88 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 100, Interior depth 100, Scale 39, Finance 78 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 530 E 20th Ave. Points are the subscore times its weight.
| Component | Subscore | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight efficiency100% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90% | 100 | 45% | 45.0 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 28 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 100 | 25% | 25.0 |
| Scale59 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 39 | 15% | 5.9 |
| Financeremaining gap is 13% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0% | 78 | 15% | 11.7 |
Most of what it earns comes from daylight efficiency, and what holds it back most is scale, at 39 out of 100: 59 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150.
What the conversion would cost
$360 per square foot all-in across 55,812 sq ft of converted floor, or $20.1M in total — about $341K for each of the 59 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 530 E 20th 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 circulation and service area that earns nothing directly. Against it the model sets a completed value of $236K a home, which for 59 homes is $13.9M.
What would have to be true
A $6.2M gap before any grant, $2.6M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 12% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $6.2M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 59 homes finishing at $341K rather than the $236K the model assumes — 44% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $360 to $249 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $3.5M moves that threshold to $281K a home. That is still above the $236K assumed, leaving $2.6M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 530 E 20th Ave, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 530 E 20th Ave, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 12% downto 657 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Circulation efficiency | 14% upto 91% |
| Conversion cost per square foot | 18% downto $213/sq ft |
| Completed value per home | 19% upto $281K |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 530 E 20th Ave re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Greater Downtown Denver
530 E 20th Ave ranks 36th of the 214 buildings screened here, against a median score of 72.
Its floor plate is better lit than 100% of them, and shallower than 99% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 194th 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 R-4-X zone
12th of 41 in North Capitol Hill, 3rd 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. 530 E 20th Ave ranks 12th 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 28 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. 530 E 20th Ave ranks 3rd of them against a median score of 90. 3 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 43 ft from a facade against this building’s 28 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 717 homes. The group’s top scorer is 500 E 19th Ave, at 95.
Its nearest match in size: 600 16th St
The screened building closest to 530 E 20th Ave in converted floor area is 600 16th St: 55,343 sq ft over 6 stories, against 55,812 sq ft over 7 here.
530 E 20th Ave scores 88 to its 74, and with the size held roughly equal most of that lead comes from interior depth: 100 out of 100 here, 73 there (deepest interior point 51 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 3,300 ft apart.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 530 E 20th Ave $3.5M, 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 530 E 20th Ave
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 310 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 480 E 20th Ave6 stories · 95% daylit · 189 estimated homes · scores 93/100 (Strong candidate)about 310 ft away
- 100 Park Ave W20 stories · 95% daylit · already a condominium buildingabout 320 ft away
- 625 E 19th Ave5 stories · 90% daylit · 297 estimated homes · scores 69/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 370 ft away
- 1950 N Logan St13 stories · 96% daylit · already a condominium buildingabout 440 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.