Reporting Suzanne McCarroll (CBS Denver)

DENVER (CBS4) ―Rocky Mountain Raffle is offering a chance to win a $1 million home, along with a slew of other prizes. The raffle ticket sales support the Boys & Girls Clubs

The $1 million home could be won for just a $100 investment.

“Tickets are only $100 and the grand prize winner can choose between a luxury home here at SPIRE in the Performing Arts District in Denver, or $1 million in cash,” Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver president John Arigoni said.

The luxury home sits on top of Denver’s downtown in SPIRE — a downtown high rise.

“We wanted to open up downtown living for a much broader demographic; young professionals, people that couldn’t otherwise live downtown,” said Randy Nichols, President of Nichols Parnership the developer of SPIRE.

Downtown living is made easy in the space. The home is 2,000 square feet and LEED certified for energy efficiency. The developers call it a “vertical neighborhood.”

“It’s a very easy way to live. If you leave on a trip, you just have to turn the key, walk out, you really don’t have to deal with anything else,” Nichols added.

Anything a resident could want is right in the building, including a gym, big screen TV room and swim space.

Get all of it for the cost of a ticket in the Rocky Mountain Raffle.

“The money goes directly to the Boys & Girls Clubs to help with their programming to help save and change the lives of the kids around the state of Colorado,” Arigoni said.

The drawing for the home is Sept. 24. Tickets will be on sale through Sept. 17. Rocky Mountain Raffle is holding several early bird drawings with prizes of up to $10,000 on July 23, Aug. 2 and Sept. 15.

Spire Building in Denver, CO

By Mark Samuelson, Denver Post:

Oil exec Garis Smith and wife Ines had lived in downtowns all over the world – Barcelona, Rio, Buenos Aires, even Tehran – when they set out to choose a lofty retirement pad in downtown Denver. In a year when buyers have lots of projects and prices to pick from, they looked at everything – old towers and new towers – before buying a spectacular 2-bedroom condo looking out at Long’s Peak and the D&F Tower, from the 27th Floor of Spire, along the 14th Street Theater District.

“It was more bang-for-the-buck,” Smith says, noting that they’ve already had family over three times since moving in last month, to enjoy the views, outdoor barbecue, and Spire’s poolside bar-lounge with big-screen basketball and movies. “We’re glad we did this,” he adds.

“Buyers just like the urban feel of Spire,” adds Erick Guigui, sales manager for Spire. That applies to younger buyers who are cutting their commutes to downtown employers (at prices from the high $200s, Spire has sold over 60 units since Jan. 1), as well as to older ones like the Smiths, lured by the dining, sports venues and the huge performing arts complex two blocks west.

Even if you saw Spire’s visitor center before the building was completed, you’ll want to return today (or Memorial Day) to see how these view-swept spaces really turned out: the creative architecture, blending some of the “loft look” with exposed concrete, to highly finished spaces in a contemporary urban style…as well as the 35,000 feet of community amenities, including ‘negative edge’ pool-deck overlooking the Convention Center; ‘The Zone’ lounge; and ‘Box Office’ theater.

For buyers who are reaching for luxury in downtown, Guigui and his staff will also give you a look at Spire’s 42nd-floor Sky Club Lounge, a private club for residents on the 33rd to 41st floors. And they’ll brief you on Spire’s super-sustainability, one of the most ambitious offerings in the nation: a registered LEDE® project with state-of-the-art energy and recycling features, and something you won’t find anywhere short of New York, London or Paris…a car sharing program by Hertz, offered from Hertz’s new offices in Spire, that lets you hop into a new Prius or Escape anytime you venture beyond walking distance, while totally avoiding the costs of owning a car.

“We really like what Spire is all about…very environmentally friendly,” says Paula R. Rivera, who heads up Public Affairs for Hertz. You can see all of that today, including the spectacular views. Take the Mall Shuttle to Champa and walk south to Spire’s visitor center between 14th and 15th.

WHERE:

SPIRE, sustainable downtown 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom condominiums with sensational views & amenities; green features; attainable prices, refreshments today. Furnished models & tour of pool deck and amenities, amid the 14th Street Theater District between Champa & Stout; take the Mall Shuttle to Champa, south 2 blks to visitor center.

PRICE:
1-bedrooms from high $2s, 2-bedrooms from high $3s

Good news this week as the Spire Developers are ready to start closing on condos at Spire Denver as early as next week, with move-ins scheduled soon there after.  Timing is good as buyers will be able to close in time for the $8,000 Tax Credit and be moved in by the end of April. Activity is certainly heating up at Spire with Spring weather and the new sales center located in the retail level. With interest rates remaining low and the possible tax credit extension, sales should be heating up over the next few months.

Four retailers have already signed up so the first tenants in the building shouldn’t have to wait to long for the conveniences of retail.  Those already signed are:

Revolution Cleaners
Ninety Plus Coffee
Connect by Hertz
Snarfs Sandwiches (really, really good sandwiches)

For a private tour of Spire call us at (303) 532-4742 or contact us here.  Active Spire listings can be viewed here.

Denver Lofts for Sale

This week I attended the Spire Grand Opening VIP event.  This event smashed our expectations, and probably did for the folks at Spire as well.  There were 1,300+ in attendance and they were all treated to a great opening celebration for Spire.  The food and drinks were great, the SPIRE-tini was fantastic.  Those that were there were treated to some amazing performance art.  An artist painted Bob Marley, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, and of course, the Spire (see the pictures below).  All done to music and in about 10 minutes per painting!  Kudos to the Spire Team… this was a memorable event.

OK, on to the important stuff.  I had a chance to speak with a lot of the Sales Executives at Spire.  Following is what I learned.

• 60% of the buildings 496 units will be one bedroom, 298 one bedrooms in all
• The 1 Bedrooms will start at $210,000, a great price point for First Time Home Buyer’s
• They will be FHA approved right out of the gates! Great news for people looking for FHA financing
• Move-ins will start in November 2009. They are doing this so that First Time Home Buyer’s can take advantage of the $8,000 Tax Credit (deadline for the credit is Dec 1, 2009)
• By the way, most people don’t realize they can claim the tax credit against their 2008 Income Tax Return, and can use credit as their down payment.  Read more about this here.
• Multiple people said that construction was ahead of schedule. This is due to the slow economy and the abundance of construction labor to fast-track the project
• 30% percent of the units will be priced under $300,000.
• The one bedroom model got a ton of great feedback. The design was very functional, and looked amazing. More on that later in the post
• The level of finishes in the models were well appointed for such an aggressive price. This was achieved by purchasing all of the finishes all at the same time for discount pricing
• The two bedroom units start at $290K, another great entry point for a 2 bedroom floor plan
• Parking is offered as deeded spaces starting at $26K and going up to $50K for premium locations in the garage.
• 200 channel Direct TV and ultra high speed internet package for $75/month! This is way cheaper than purchasing as a direct consume
• Many people were concerned about the HOA and early reports put them at 30 cents per square foot. This is a great deal considering the over the top amenities in this resort style complex
• The building is documented at 42 floors, but since there is no 13^th floor the building actually has 41 floors. None of the units have 13 in the number

I am going to post more about the amenities in the next few days.  In the meantime, below are some pics from the event:

SPIRE-tini is served

Wow, what an event last night and what a launch for the Spire in Denver.  The only thing better than the SPIRE-tini cocktail, and the performance art, was the actual model condos we got to tour.  The one bedroom got rave reviews, and at that price point, theres a lot to like.  I will be posting some more info about the party and some other things I learned last night about the Spire.

Here is a post from the Westword:

Spire, the 42-story condo tower going up at 14th and Champa streets, is all about the cool. From its energy-efficient design to its so-called attainable unit prices (60 percent of its cushy units will go for less than $400,000) to its strikingly illuminated facade, this ain’t your granddaddy’s high-rise.

That was clearly the message at the swanky launch party last night for the opening of Spire’s marketing center in the Colorado Convention Center, located across the street from where the 483-foot residential tower (the largest built around here in decades) has now been topped off. The shindig, in an adjacent convention center space, was the place to be, with suited-up power players strutting their stuff and the gossip flowing more freely than the complimentary booze. Performance artist Brian Olson, known for his impromptu paintings of famous dead people, whipped off an enormous, colorful portrait of the Spire to go alongside his renderings of Jimi and Marilyn. It felt like Denver circa 1987, quipped one observer, when the idea of any new building was reason enough for a party.

Read the rest of the Westword article here

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Looks like the folks at Spire are having an official launch party on Wed, Mar. 11th.  I am not sure at this point if this is open to the public or if this will be a Broker only preview.  Once I get the invitation I should know more.

The ad reads “Save the Date for an InSpired event.  Celebrate the launch of Spire .  Enjoy live music, cocktails, and appetizers.  Visit our new sales center & view Denver’s most exciting new high rise!”

If you would like to join me at this event, please Contact Us and make sure to put  “Spire Party” in the subject line.  I will take as many as I can.

Other Spire articles:

Spire Denver Cam

Spire Building Update

Marketing to Start in 2009 for Spire Project