There can be a lot of real estate jargon thrown around when a few of us sit down talking about the exciting new projects in Downtown Denver. "Have you seen the new MDU being built in LoHi", "What a great loft conversion", "is it a soft loft or a hard loft".
The downtown Denver marketplace already has it's share of jargon due to the may downtown Denver condo neighborhood acronyms (LoHi, LoDo, CPV, and more) so we thought we'd spend a day going over a little of the Downtown Denver real estate vocabulary you hear around town... the Hard Loft versus the Soft Loft.
Most everyone knows the history of the term for a Loft. Back when industrial and warehouse buildings were first converted a new style of "Downtown Loft" came into being. From Manhattan to Denver to Los Angeles there was an explosion of creative ways to convert these funky spaces that were often characterized by high ceilings, exposed ductwork, brick walls, and high wood beams. It was the high loft ceilings that gave these their original name... that and the fact that may had bedrooms that were lofted to take advantage of the high ceiling space. While many like to think of the original lofts as the favorite residence for the artist or designer the truth is that these funky and open spaces drew in all audiences and are still some of the most popular Downtown Denver lofts for our clients.
Because of the huge popularity of the original lofts developers soon looked at the possibility of creating new "lofts" instead of trying to find older buildings that could be converted. These new lofts were called "soft lofts" and they represent anything that was built anew as a residential development versus something that was converted from an industrial use. In the downtown Denver condo market these can be new projects that are very similar to the original lofts such as the Promenade Lofts or Park Place Lofts. Both of these Downtown Denver condo projects in Riverfront Park have high ceilings, exposed ductwork, concrete floors, and open floor plans.
Other soft lofts are more like a true condominium such as the Glass House in Riverfront Park and SPIRE in Downtown Denver. Advocates for the soft loft cite their energy efficiency and better use of space using modern techniques and modern materials. Often the developer will talk about the soft loft as the "best of both worlds" with some exposed high ceilings but not exposed ductwork or utilities (which some say is quieter). Of course the newer soft lofts often include amenities such as swimming pools, hot tubs, movie theaters, and more.
What's your favorite.. the classic and historic hard loft from an industrial conversion or the newer soft loft with its modern benefits. It usually boils down to the character and design of the individual residence and for that a walk through is the best way to find out what will strike a chord in your heart.
So call any of us at New Era Realty today and let us take you on a tour of the Downtown Denver loft world.. both historic and new.