Architect: OZ Architecture
Year Built: 1930
Photo Restrictions: No
Structure
OZ Architecture (OZ) is composed of two historic warehouses-turned-studios side-by-side. The vast open office, steel beams spanning the ceiling, and exposed brick walls retain a historic feel while enclosing a modern space that sparks creativity. OZ is an innovative architectural firm, and it truly shows when you visit their offices.
Significance
In 1895, William Albert Weigele, the proprietor of the Weigele Riveted Steele and Pipe Works, purchased numbers 2949 through 2951 Larimer Street, Denver. It is assumed that Weigele built the warehouse structure (known at OZ as “Big Green”), and 3003 Larimer was also constructed under his supervision in the 1930s.
In the 1940s, Thompson Pipe and Steel occupied the buildings. They produced coated “spiral welded steel pipe” (very large diameter), and built Destroyer Escort Ships during World War II. The ships were created in large sections that could be shipped by rail through the Moffet Tunnel, and were then assembled in California.
Recent Ownership
Waste Management Recycling occupied the buildings in 1980–90s as a satellite station. In 2000, Tom Sprung purchased the property and began a phased construction project. The 3003 portion, which was built in the 1930s, of OZ and the building that houses the neighboring businesses, AFS and Lifescapes (originally built in 1907), were the first to be built out as office spaces. “Big Green” was used as a warehouse for Sprung Construction until 2011 when it was renovated into a second office building for OZ’s Denver headquarters.