Eugene Sternberg - A Variety of Other Projects and Buildings

A Variety of Other Projects and Buildings

A cursory survey of the work of architect Sternberg during his years of intensive practice shows that he did some 45-50 projects that did not fit into any of the categories covered so far. He designed half a dozen office buildings, including one for the Hirschfield Press, another jointly for the Mayo accounting firm and businessman and philanthropist Gerald Schlessman, where Sternberg had his own office for a time, and two for the Prudential Insurance Company, one of which is today an attractive restaurant in the Cherry Creek area. Perhaps the most successful from a design point of view were the Law Offices of Martin Miller on Littleton Boulevard.

There was also a delightful building for the influential newspaper, Cervi's Journal (now the Denver Business Journal), located on Delaware Street near the Denver City and County Building. Sternberg was quite nervous when Cervi, a liberal, outspoken, temperamental newspaperman first approached him. "Why me?" he asked. "You know so many architects in Denver. I don't want to be crucified in your paper if I make a mistake – and I do make mistakes!" Cervi reassured him, "Gene, you and I will get along just fine. I want you to be my architect." The collaboration worked well and Cervi was delighted with his new facility. Unfortunately, after Cervi died and the paper was taken over by his daughter, the City of Denver decided it needed the land. The Cervi office was among the buildings razed to make room for Denver's new police building.

For Gerald Schlessman, Sternberg designed Hillcrest Apartments, a commercial high-rise apartment building in central Denver. He was sincerely distressed when he heard, about a year after completion of the project, that Schlessman was losing money on it and had put it up for sale. He went to talk with his client and expressed his concern. "Don't give it a thought, Gene," said Schlessman, "I can always use a loss." That reasoning went beyond Sternberg's personal financial experience. At the other end of the housing spectrum was a complex of small, economical apartment units Sternberg designed for a beautiful site overlooking the town of Steamboat Springs. Currently, the owners of the apartments are seeking to have the project designated as having historic significance. The site is too desirable and developers have in mind the razing of the present inexpensive homes to make way for a denser development.

Eugene D. Sternberg and Associates had considerable experience working on governmental projects, federal, state, county and municipal. Designing a new regional headquarters building in Denver for the federal Food and Drug Administration was, for Sternberg, like finding himself in the middle of a satirical farce about government bureaucracy. He designed the building for the chosen site, fighting battles all the way against outdated rules and regulations. Suddenly, a major defect in the site title was discovered, and a new site was purchased. The building design was adapted to the new site and final plans submitted to Washington. Nothing was heard for an extended period of time, and finally the word came down that money for the project had run out and it was being abandoned. His other federal commission went much more smoothly. This was a straightforward, attractive and functional post office for Glenwood Springs in 1964.

The experience of working for the State of Colorado was generally satisfying. In addition to the projects already mentioned - the State Public Health building in Denver and the Trinidad Old Age Homes and Nursing Home - Sternberg in 1957 remodeled several offices in the State Capitol Building, including the Governor's quarters, and designed extensive new facilities for the State Home and Training School in Grand Junction (1958).

Sternberg celebrated the opportunities open to an architect in general practice to learn about an extraordinary variety of human activities and occupations. Designing a building for a new radio station was intriguing, as was the experience of planning a new fire station for Aurora. Remodeling the Arapahoe County Jail illuminated some of the darker sides of the human experience, while accommodating the myriad functions to be served by a new Delta County Courthouse was a rewarding planning assignment. There was the totally unexpected opportunity to develop a master plan for a new seaside resort in Newport, Rhode Island, on the site of an old mansion. Sternberg believed in the educational value of participating in architectural and planning competitions: the firm had an entry in the national competition for a memorial to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and submitted entries in international competitions for the design of new towns in Turkey, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. And then there was a small, inexpensive little building for the Chamber of Commerce in his beloved town of Steamboat Springs, which has recently been designated as a Historic Landmark.