US firm Studio Gang has been selected to lead the revitalization of Denver's downtown Civic Center plaza, which will include improvements to a central amphitheatre and promenade.

The public space, which was the city's first National Historic Landmark, is located at the heart of Denver and comprises two parks as well as cultural and government buildings. It has held festivals, cultural events and First Amendment rallies for over 100 years.

Studio Gang was awarded a $2.8 million design contract to implement Phase 1 of The Civic Center Next 100 project, an initiative that will see improvements across the entirety of the roughly 600,000 square-foot (55,741 square-metre) site.

As part of Phase 1, Studio Gang will undertake improvements to the site's Greek amphitheatre and central promenade that runs through the plaza.

"Studio Gang was chosen based on their project approach, which is rooted in a community-centred process, and both respect the historic aspects of the park while bringing innovative architectural design," said the team.

"We are looking forward to working closely with the city, the conservancy, and the communities of Denver on the design for Civic Center that extends its democratic legacy and invites everyone to come together around performance," said Studio Gang founding principal Jeanne Gang.

"It is also a perfect moment to make the park's ecology resilient for its next 100 years of life," she added.

Civic Center Next 100 will also see improvements to the park's central gathering place and Bannock Street, a stretch of street closed to vehicle traffic in 2020 that is being converted into public space.

"Civic Center Next 100 is a concept plan that plans a series of improvements to elevate the park for the next 100 years with new energy for the Denver of today and the generations to come," said the team.

Phase 1 is expected to be completed in 2025.

Studio Gang was also recently selected to renovate and expand the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, with more design details to be released in 2024.

The photography is courtesy of the City and County of Denver.