Casino/Gaming

Midnight Rose Parking structure

Cripple Creek, Colorado

456 space 6-level precast concrete parking structure

When gambling was legalized in Cripple Creek, Colorado in the early 1990’s, numerous gaming facilities were quickly established within historic buildings, including the Midnight Rose Casino. Convenient parking was always a significant problem, often discouraging potential patrons from making the hour or more drive from the major population centers in the state, particularly in the winter with the lack of available covered parking. In order to differentiate their casino from the competition, Midnight Rose commissioned Walker Parking Consultants and consulting architect, Thurston Design Group, to construct a 456 space, six-level parking structure.

Designing a large parking structure that would fit into this national historic district was a particular challenge. In addition, the Katinka Building, a registered landmark, sat in the middle of the site planned for the garage. The solution to this problem was to save the façade and front portion of the Katinka Building and literally build the garage around it. The parking structure façade was designed to suggest a series of individual buildings that could have been constructed over time. This treatment matches much of the rest of Cripple Creek’s architecture of typically narrow, separate storefronts. An enclosed skyway was included to allow a simple, direct access between the parking structure and the Midnight Rose and Brass Ass Casinos. The new parking structure fits very well into the town of Cripple Creek, and offers patrons close, convenient parking with direct, covered access to the casinos.

This project was awarded the 2002 Award of Excellence from the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Concrete Institute.