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City Civic Center
Councilors have directed staff to seek ways to enhance the city's customer service by consolidating various departments into a centrally located Civic Center at the former Durango School District 9-R property, which encompasses the former administration building at 201 E. 12th St., and Big Picture High School at 215 E. 12th St. Existing buildings such as City Hall, River City Hall, the Police Department and Carnegie are space-constrained, have limited seating and outdated technology. The potential repurposing of the historic property may also include community space. Click here to view the presentation at the 3-14-23 open house or on the image to the right.
It is the vision of the city that the development of a Civic Center at the former Durango School District 9-R property will provide for Durango's future while leveraging assets from Durango's past. In addition, it would create a municipal center that can be versatile enough to meet the growing needs of the city of Durango and its community.
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
- 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.
Photos and graphics
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Police department exterior (current)
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Police department basement at capacity.
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Big Picture High School from 12th Street.
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View of 9R from 13th Street.
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Alley east of Big Picture High School.
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Police department exterior (current).
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River City Hall from Camino del Rio.
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Police department 1962 versus today.
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9R rear exterior from 13th Street.
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9R front from 12th Street.
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Police department interior.
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Alley to the east of Big Picture High School.
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City growth projections.
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Carnegie Building, 1188 East Second Ave.
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City Hall from East Second Avenue (current).
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Buckley from 13th Street.
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City Hall 1987.
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Existing facilities.
Tour an aging city facility
Civic Center Comments
News and updates
Fire station open house set for July 26
The fire district will hold a public meeting to gather input on their draft plans for the new fire station. For more information go to Public Meeting on New Downtown Fire Station | Durango Fire Protection District