Purchase and Development of Gove Middle School Property

March 23, 2012

Gove Demolition Complete -- Parking Lot Construction Up Next

National Jewish Health has completed demolition of the former Gove Middle School. Work continues on construction of an employee parking lot on the site with expected completion scheduled for mid-June.

Plans for Parking Lot at site of former Gove Middle School

The lot will include 462 parking spaces and site landscaping. Employees will access the lot on 13th and 14th streets at driveways generally aligned with Albion Street. This should minimize traffic on Ash Street. There will be a low-water use grassy area surrounded by existing trees on the northwest quadrant of the lot. This portion of the property will remain landscaped but otherwise undeveloped to accommodate a future National Jewish Health facility.

The parking lot area east of Albion will have islands planted with a mixture of grasses and trees and will be screened from the streets with greenery.  More trees will be planted and missing trees will be replaced with new, healthy trees.

Along Ash Street, a 30-foot planted buffer will consist of low shrubs, ornamental trees, evergreens, and deciduous trees, creating a seasonal buffer. The southeast corner of the lot will serve as a detention pond for the site, and more trees and shrubs placed there will create a natural appearance.

“We are excited to create a space that will add value to the entire neighborhood,” said Ron Berge, Chief Operations Officer at National Jewish Health. “This vacated building and empty lot will soon become an attractive, functional space.”

Fences have been erected around unfenced portions of the site. For safety reasons, the public does not have access to the site during the demolition and construction period. 

In the longer term, National Jewish Health intends to build on the Gove property to support its clinical, research, and education mission.  

December 21, 2011

Demolition of Gove Middle School Begins

National Jewish Health has begun the demolition process for the Gove Middle School property. National Jewish Health purchased the shuttered school from Denver Public Schools in 2011.

After demolition of the building, National Jewish Health initially plans to construct a  parking lot with 300+ spaces for its employees and perform some landscaping on the site.

Removal of asbestos was completed in early December 2011.

Fences have been erected around unfenced portions of the site. For safety reasons, the public will not have access to the site during the demolition and construction period.

Actual demolition of the building will begin on or about January 3, 2012, with completion expected in mid-March 2012.

National Jewish Health has contracted with Alpine Demolition and recycling LLC to remove the building. Activity on the site will occur from 7:00-7:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. During that time trucks will enter the property from 14th Avenue and exit west on 13th Avenue. The existing Ash Street entrance is expected to be used infrequently.

Landscaping and construction of the parking lot will begin immediately after demolition finishes and is expected to be ready for use in May or June 2012.

November 15, 2011

Denver City Council Rezones Gove Middle School Property

Move Clears Way for Completion of Purchase by National Jewish Health

The Denver City Council on Monday, November 14, unanimously approved a request by National Jewish Health to rezone the former Gove Middle School property and the National Jewish Health Harrison Street property to hospital campus zones CMPH and CMPH2. This clears the way for completion of the purchase by National Jewish Health of the former Gove Middle School.

February 18, 2011

National Jewish Health to Purchase Gove Middle School Property

Denver Public Schools and National Jewish Health have agreed to contract terms for the sale of the Gove Middle School property at the southeast corner of Colorado Blvd. and 14th Avenue. National Jewish Health will pay $9 million for the property. The final purchase is contingent upon rezoning the property to accommodate potential expansion of the hospital facilities.

Read Denver Post article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did National Jewish Health purchase the Gove Middle School property?

The Gove property offers an important opportunity for the long-term viability of National Jewish Health in Denver. Our growth in recent years has strained our existing facilities--nearly 150 employees moved to offices off campus last spring. The Gove property is contiguous with our existing 112-year-old campus, and presents an opportunity to expand our campus in an otherwise fully developed section of Denver.

In addition to our main health campus, we operate a clinical care network with 18 locations around Colorado including Englewood, Highlands Ranch, Broomfield, Aspen Valley, Vail and Glenwood Springs. We also provide inpatient care or outpatient physician services at Rose Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, the University of Colorado Hospital, The Children’s Hospital, Denver Health and the Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital.

What will National Jewish Health do with the Gove Middle School property?

With more than half our buildings more than 50 years old, we need to build replacement facilities. We also need to accommodate increased demand for patient care, which has experienced double-digit growth in each of the past four years.

Initially, we will demolish the existing school building and expand surface parking spaces for National Jewish Health employees. In the longer term, NJH intends to expand on the Gove property to support its clinical, research and education mission. 

How will National Jewish Health involve the community in its plans?

As we always have, we look forward to working with neighborhood associations, city government, and other interested parties to further our development in a manner that meets the needs of our patients and our academic and hospital partners, and is sensitive to the character of the surrounding neighborhood and business corridor.