Projects - Structures
Buildings: Historic Assessment/Renovation

Aspen City Hall
Aspen, Colorado

The building was originally constructed as the Armory Hall in 1892 in three months and four days.   The existing load bearing masonry structure has undergone numerous remodels over the years to accommodate varying uses, including armory, social and fraternal hall, auditorium, gymnasium, roller rink and the city offices since 1957.

The City Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places.

LORIS performed a site structural investigation to determine the structure's complex load path, and to identify which interior walls were load bearing and could not be removed in the proposed renovation.  A floor analysis of the numerous first floor conditions was performed to verify existing floor loading capacities.

The interior structure consists of heavy timber framing to support numerous roof skylights and the existing roof.  Below the roof the framing is structural steel with multiple transfers to accommodate a multitude of varying interior office functions.  The goal of the remodel of the first floor is to place customer service functions at the main west end, with back of house services in the rear.