Regency Student Housing
The Regency is one of three student-housing communities for the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver, Colorado. Formerly the Regency Hotel, the building is privately owned by local investor and proprietor V. Robert Salazar (owner of Regency Realty Investors LLC), who bought the building in 2004.
Located two miles from the Auraria Campus, just off of Interstate 25 and Park Avenue West, The Regency is Auraria’s first student housing community (the others being Inn at Auraria and the Campus Village Apartments). Both graduate and undergraduate students of Metropolitan State College of Denver, Community College of Denver and University of Colorado at Denver are eligible for housing at The Regency.
History
According to a Regency press release, Williams Construction Corporation began renovation of The Regency in early 2005. In order to make the hotel habitable again they had to update the plumbing, electrical, mechanical and life safety systems. They also installed new windows and replaced the building’s roof among other tasks.
During construction, the building’s golden-domed rotunda caught fire. Fortunately, no one was harmed and there were no delays to the construction schedule.
The Community
The first students moved into The Regency on September 1, 2005 as minor renovation was still being completed inside the main tower. The 300-bed tower was nearly 50 percent full in the first few months, and by February, was roughly 80 percent full.
Floor Plans and Rates
There are four rooming options for students. They include a single unit ($750-$890 per month), a Double unit ($450-$530 per month) and a four-person suite ($580-$650 per month). A two-bedroom unit ($650-$690 per month) will be available by June 2006.
Bedroom Amenities
A resident’s monthly rent includes the payment of basic cable television, high-speed Internet access, local telephone service and utilities.
Each room is also furnished with a bed, a dresser, a desk and a chair per person. Unlike most college dorms, rooms also have their own private bathroom and climate control since The Regency was a former hotel.
Community Amenities
Located around The Regency are numerous services for the residents, including laundry facilities, a fitness center and weight room, two indoor basketball courts, four pool tables, a computer lab, an ATM and a big-screen amphitheater. There are also several flat-screen televisions located throughout the community as well as vending machines on every other habitable floor.
Chartwells, a national dining service company, runs the community’s convenience store and all-you-can-eat dining hall.
Along with free parking and bike racks, the community can take advantage of a free bus shuttle that drives students to and from the Auraria Campus every weekday.
The Regency also employs a nighttime security guard along with a janitorial and maintenance staff.
Future Renovations
Currently, students only reside in the building’s main tower but renovation of the north annex, which can hold 400 more residents, will be done by the end of June 2005 along with an outdoor swimming pool and outdoor touchups. Reportedly, a giant white tent will be erected over the former golden-domed rotunda in spring 2006.
There is still 50,000 square feet of unused space in the main tower, including a 214-seat movie theater in the basement. The Regency’s General Manager, Michael Francone, said that the dormatory's management is still considering what to do with the left-over room.
External links
- www.regencystudenthousing.com The Regency
- www.ahec.edu Auraria Campus
- www.mscd.edu Metropolitan State College of Denver
- www.ccd.edu Community College of Denver
- www.cudenver.edu University of Colorado at Denver
Sources
www.regencystudenthousing.com