Posner Center for International Development
On one of my adventures through my neighborhood, The 80205, I saw the horse barn a couple years ago and thought, “Someone should really develop this. It would make great condos.” Thankfully, someone did develop this building and they had a much better idea than condos!
Denver’s Historic Horse Barn in Curtis Park has been renovated into a hub for local and international development. The Horse Barn was built in 1882 at 33rd and Arapahoe to house the horses and horse cars used for transportation at that time. In 2008, this was the last building standing of its kind, was in major disrepair, and had been vacant for years. The Denver Housing Authority purchased this building intending to scrape it and build housing. Joe Noble of the Curtis Park Neighborhood Association argued that the building has historic value and should not be destroyed – Thank you, Joe!
The barn was developed into the Posner Center for International Development by tres birds design/build firm, which houses over 40 international development organizations, such as Elephant Energy and PowerMundo, as well as the local nonprofit, Denver Urban Gardens. The design accommodates both private and shared work spaces, including former horse stalls transformed into private rooms, and sports an open modern kitchen for fundraisers and Urban Garden cooking classes. The Posner Center also hosts the Curtis Park Neighborhood Association meetings.
