Cab Childress (1932 - 2006)
Noted Denver architect designed several University of Denver buildings

Noted architect G. Cabell "Cab" Childress died in November. Though he worked on a wide variety of projects, Childress will be best remembered as architect emeritus for the University of Denver, where he used a palette of copper, sandstone, limestone and red brick to create a new sense of place for the campus.

(1/01/2007)

Prominent Colorado architect Guion Cabell "Cab" Childress IV, FAIA, died Nov. 17 after a long illness. Childress, 74, was best known for his work at the University of Denver, where he was university architect emeritus.

Childress was the principal architect on such signature DU buildings as F.W. Olin Hall, the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness, Stapleton Tennis Pavilion, Daniels College of Business and the Robert & Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts.

After earning a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Childress received a bachelor of arts in architecture from the University of Colorado in 1958.

During his career, he taught at the University of Denver, University of Colorado and Kansas State University. He also served as president of the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, architect's chair at the Colorado Historical Review Board and as a member of the design review board for the University of Colorado System.

Childress was honored in 2003 as Denver Architect of the Year and Colorado Architect of the Year by the American Institute of Architects.

Childress began his nearly half-century-long architectural career in 1961 with the Denver firm of W.C. Muchow. By 1966 he had opened his own firm, Cabell Childress Architects.

DU's Architect
In the late 1970s, Childress designed a Grand County home for Daniel Ritchie, who later became chancellor of the University of Denver in 1989. In 1992 Ritchie asked Childress for his advice on a DU project that became the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness.

By 1993 Childress was at work designing additional University of Denver projects, becoming university architect in 1994, a post he held until his retirement in April 1999.
Childress, always recognizable by his trademark bow tie and straw hat, turned the reins over to his protégé, leading DU architect Mark Rodgers, but continued to consult with DU as university architect emeritus until his death.

"I met Cab in July of 1991," Rodgers said. "My wife had sent me a list of architectural firms in Colorado that might be willing to give me an interview. She wrote next to Cab's name: 'Best designer in Colorado, really small office. You don't have a chance.' By my good fortune, he offered to talk to me on a Friday afternoon. He flipped through my portfolio in what seemed like a few seconds and said to me, 'Where have you been?"
Rodgers had been working on a New Jersey prison for a Philadelphia firm. Within a few weeks, he was working with Childress on the Evergreen Public Library, the Pagosa Springs Post Office and what became "Granny's Castle," Ritchie's Grand County retreat.

Childress, who once described the $450 million University of Denver capital building program as his personal "moon shot," created a harmonious palette of copper, sandstone, limestone and red brick to create a new sense of place for the DU campus. He and Rodgers led a team of architects responsible for designing buildings intended to last for hundreds of years, employing construction techniques such as the use of load-bearing masonry for exterior walls and durable materials such as copper roofing.

Cab's Vision
During his long career, Childress designed a number of important buildings around the Rocky Mountain Region. Notable examples are the Foothills Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Fort Collins, Samuel Gary Oil Producer's headquarters in Inverness Park, George T. O'Malley Visitor Center at Roxborough State Park, Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Englewood and the University of Colorado Theater and Dance Building.

Rodgers continues to implement Childress' vision in new buildings at DU. Since 1997 the university has added 13 new buildings. New academic and residential facilities currently are in the planning phases.

"Cab's passion for the way buildings work together is what made him such a great campus architect," Rodgers said. "As you see his projects, such as the Eagle County Government Center, note how the roads come to it. At Roxborough State Park, you appreciate how the visitors' center is carefully placed amongst the red rocks. You quickly realize it's not just the buildings; it's the landscape, the forms and how all the elements fit together."

Childress was born March 13, 1932, and grew up in Tampa, Fla. It was there he met his future wife, Penelope "Pen" Nace. The childhood sweethearts began dating when they were 13 and were married June 19, 1954.

After 50 years of marriage, she preceded him in death in 2004. Childress once told an interviewer he became an architect because Penelope, then his girlfriend, told him she wouldn't marry a forest ranger.

Childress is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

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