The property, located on the southeast corner of Union Boulevard and Pikes Peak Avenue, approximately two miles east of downtown Colorado Springs, was once a place of relaxation and healing for members of the International Typographical Union. The architecturally unique structures of the campus are situated in a park-like setting overlooking Memorial Park.
UPH Partners, comprised of longtime local philanthropic and civic-minded investors, purchased Union Printers Home in summer 2021 to preserve, revitalize, and energize the campus and its iconic buildings. The master plan will blend elements of adaptive reuse with new construction encompassing a mix of uses including hospitality, retail, commercial, dining, entertainment, and residential. As a community asset, the campus will be available to the public and visitors alike with open park-like qualities.
For the visioning of the Union Printers Home site, Sasaki will serve as the lead consultant providing master planning, architecture, and landscape architecture.
“The proud location of this site on the crest of a hill overlooking Memorial Park created a distinct position at the edge of downtown for decades,” said Joshua Brooks, Sasaki Project Lead. “Now, as Colorado Springs has grown around the property with diverse land uses including civic, institutional, commercial, and residential, the site has become a nexus that can serve as a community center in and of itself. Sasaki is thrilled to be a part of this landmark project to preserve and reimagine the Union Printers Home."
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“One of the primary goals of the revitalization effort is to honor the historic significance of the property with special attention paid to the adaptive reuse of existing structures,” said Victor Vizgaitis, Principal Architect at Sasaki. “We also envision creating a diverse mix of uses that promotes year-round 24-hour activation.”
The master planning process, anticipated to take place over approximately 18 months, will inform the vision that blends elements of adaptive reuse with new construction encompassing a mix of uses to include hospitality, retail, commercial, dining, entertainment, and residential.
The Union Printers Home site is anchored by a five-story, 93,500-square-foot Romanesque-style building that earned the nickname, “Castle on the Hill”. The original building was constructed of sandstone and white lava stone, at a cost of approximately $70,000 on land donated by the City of Colorado Springs. Three brick buildings were added to the campus in the 1930s.
“On this 130th anniversary of the Union Printers Home, we are announcing the first step in a process that looks forward to the Union Printers Home as a revitalized piece of our collective history,” said Kevin O’Neil. “I am proud to be a part of this group of local owners who all share the goal of creating a space that will invite the community into a vibrant, thriving neighborhood that envisions and creates our future, while honoring our past.”
