City Civic Center

The former Durango School District 9-R property was built in 1916 and utilized as the old Durango High School from 1917 until 1976. The property is registered with both the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Places.

A Master Facility Program from 1994 that considered using the former 9-R building as a civic center is once again being considered. In July 2022, the Durango Fire Protection District entered into a year-long memorandum of understanding with the city to explore the potential of rebuilding the city’s River City Hall property as the fire district’s downtown facility. A master facility plan from 2015 also addressed space issues faced by city government. The DFPD currently owns the Durango School District 9-R property, and may be willing to work out a deal that could include an exchange of River City Hall for the 9-R building.

Meet the original Architects

• Thomas MacLaren
• Thomas E. Charles 
• Eugene G. Groves

• Enhance the level of customer service in a single location.
• Grow beyond the constraints of existing buildings. For example, council chambers has limited seating and technology options.
• Staff has reached capacity at existing city locations. There is insufficient room to accommodate new staff, which limits the city's ability to provide services to the community. 
• A civic center could serve as catalyst for investment on East Second Avenue. 
• Developing a civic center could increase the potential for enhanced public involvement in local government, and enhance community engagement. 
• Employees will be able to enjoy a direct multimodal route to work once the Camino del Rio underpass is completed.  
• A civic center would create the opportunity for various public uses, which the 9-R building has provided historically.

After it had served as a public school for over 80 years, the City of Redmond purchased the former Union High School building with a vision for a new City Hall. They envisioned a great space to work and a positive community experience – all while maintaining the building’s historic integrity as a part of the city fabric. The location was also integral to the city’s overall master plan to create a civic center as part of the expansion of Redmond’s Centennial Park. FFA was brought on to provide complete design and historic rehabilitation services for the adaptive re-use of the 1920s structure and site. Click on the image below for an overview of the project.