Charles Stanley Sink

Born Valparaiso Indiana 1923. Died Denver Colorado 2013

Visited the Chicago Worlds Fair 1933

High School Graduation voted Best Male Student 1941

Entered University of Pennsylvania 1941

Received Freshman – Sophomore Award 1943

Called up in the service by Air Aircorps 1943

Graduated 2nd Lieutenant Army Aircorps 1943

Joined Aircrew as Co-pilot B-24 1944 January

Flew 35 missions in Eight Air Force WWII   1944

Based in Victorville , CA 1945

Separated from service in Indiana.

Returned to Harvard Design School. 

Received Bachelors in Architecture and Masters in Architecture.

Worked on town site of Los Alamos. 1947

Married Ann Breese 

Moved to Caracas, formed his first architectural office 1948

Moved to Denver, Colorado 1950

Opened own office for practice in architecture. 1953

Hired by I.M. Pei. Moved to New York city. 1954-56

Returned to Denver . Reopened own office. 1960

Highlights:

Born Valparaiso Indiana 1923.

On a visit to 1933 Worlds fair with his brother Mark was an inspiration to become a modernist, also seeing work by László Mology-Nagy visiting Frank Loyd Wright's residences with his brother Mark. (His Brother Mark Sink’s became a contemporary lighting designer)

World War 2 hero, flew over 35 missions co-pilot and pilot of B24 bomber with the Eighth Air Force. Flew over Omaha Beach bombed targets on D-day and many missions after. One mission of note destroyed Rommels powerful tank divisions at Saint-Lo opening the door to the liberation of France and on into Germany.

1947 Received his Masters from Harvard Design School studying under Walter Gropius. Classmates and close friend with IM Pei. (Later to work Pei at S.O.M. with projects in NYC and in Denver with the Mile High Center and Hilton Hotel and May D&F hyperbolic paraboloid ( Then called Zeckendorf Plaza) , that won a AIA national award. (Recently torn down).  ( see Westword http://www.westword.com/issues/2005-11-10/culture/art.html  )

“Court House Square  (Zekendorf Plaza) is the first major development in any American city to combine a hotel, department store, parking and public space. An innovative application of new materials, structural methods and modernist design in nineteenth-century Denver, it was the second of three projects executed by the firm in a coordinated effort to develop the modern city core.

The block-long hotel is a pioneering venture in precast concrete. It incorporates aggregate excavated from the site in deep Mo-Sai grillwork that changes pattern with interior spaces, shading not only guestrooms but also office and retail — spaces not typically associated with hotels in the late 1950s. The red-brown panels complement neighboring buildings and distant mountains.”

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/5202/s.html

Influenced greatly by the International Style of design by timeless master Architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier.

1950- 2006. Over 250 modernist projects in the Denver and Colorado Region.

Among countless awards he received the coveted National AIA honorary fellow and award.

Favorite projects 

Built his personal residence himself 1000 E Stanford 1956

Built two weekend houses on Aspen Mountain for 10 thousand dollars 1963. (One still standing). Reviewed by the NY Times.

Many other residences in Aspen throughout the 1960s. 

In the 1960s early 70s projects moved on to the early founding development of Vail in a ranchers field. (1962). He  designed the icon of the town the Clock Tower and many residences in the township.  Designed the adjacent Lions Head Center and condominiums.

Moved on to Copper Mountain and its founding. He designed the base restraint lodge and summit lodge/ restaurant. Two wonderful standout modernist structures still standing are Summit House and Summit House East. 

And on down to Key Stone ski area many public and structures there.

Notable Denver buildings:

His personal residence : the Mansfield house was built on a small corner lot. It has very few exterior windows. (the interior dwelling enclosed by walls) Yet glass walls on the inside , closed in court yards and gardens and swimming pool creating a very open light interior with complete privacy. This was very controversial in the neighborhood (with upset neighbors) and got very little recognition locally but the house was recognized and awarded internationally and published and praised in the leading Italian architectural magazine Domus.  “ The Continuous Wall “ (February 1974 issue 24).

 1960s One Cheeseman is one of his hallmark projects. The building today has become one of the most sought after residences for the super wealthy.

One common theme that stands out with dad’s project is his sensitivity to Colorado light. Many of his projects have in set windows thus shading from direct light in the summer and then allow direct light in the winter.  Also ahead of it’s time progressive uses of passive solar collectors and thermo-coupling. 

McNichols Sports arena was true form follows function.The construction was finished early and came in under budget. (A rare feat) It was recognized worldwide and Mayors from around the county flew in to see the project. Since then the firm has done over 40 sports facilities all over the country and Canada including a remodel of the famous Boston Gardens.

Still standing

RTD bus maintenance facility. Notable because of the early use of solar collectors and thermo coupling to heat the building.

Arapaho Tennis club Englewood. 

1900 Grant office building.  

1999 Lincoln office building.

Dakota Hill Condominiums

Also see

 http://www.sinkcombs.com/profile/firm.html

Up till the end of his life he continued to keep himself busy with personal design projects and always new plains for a new home in Denver. 

Charles Sink Denver Public Library info:

CHARLES S. SINK ARCHITECTURE RECORDS 

INTRODUCTION 

For location information, refer to the Denver Public Library Catalog. 

INTRODUCTION 

PROVENANCE: 

Charles Sink donated the majority of the records October 30, 1991. 

ACCESS: 

The collection is open for research. Floor plans of privately owned 

buildings may not be copied without the written consent of the 

building  owner. 

OWNERSHIP: 

Literary rights and copyrights, as appropriate, have been assigned to 

the Denver Public Library. 

PUBLICATION RIGHTS: 

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from 

material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate 

librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on 

behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. 

It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright 

holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does 

not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or 

publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, 

or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis. 

PREFERRED CITATION: 

 [Identification of item], Charles S. Sink Architecture Records, 

WH1192, 

Western History Collection, The Denver Public Library. 

SIZE: 

Number of boxes: 3  Number of tubes: 37  Oversize boxes: 2 Oversize folio: 1 

LOCATION:  WH1192 

PROCESSED BY: Charles Sink  /Ellen Zazzarino /Shane Trost /Chris Basore Juanita Carter /Jan Simmons /May 1999 

REVISED AND ENCODED BY: Claudia Jensen /March, 2006 

PROJECT MANAGER: Ellen Zazzarino 

>>BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 

Charles Sink has been a major design influence in the Western United States for more than 25 years. He received his Bachelor and Master 

Degrees in architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He 

moved to Denver in 1950 and was the Denver Associate to I. M. Pei from 

1956-1960. Following his association with I. M. Pei, he established 

the  office of Charles S. Sink in 1962. His firm was awarded commissions 

for  high rise condominiums, financial institutions, office complexes, and 

university buildings. 

In 1984, Charles Sink received the prestigious honor of the Architect 

of the Year Award from the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute 

of Architects for his outstanding achievements in design. He was named 

a Fellow of the AIA for his contributions to the profession of 

architecture in 1978. Mr. Sink was the president of the Colorado 

Chapter of the AIA in 1972 and Chairman of the Western Mountain Region 

AIA Annual Conference in 1979. 

Charles Sink became involved in many civic activities including 

Chairman of the Denver Art Commission from 1968-1983; member of the 

design committee of the Denver Technological Center, 1980-1983; and 

member of the Commission on Cultural Affairs for the City and County 

of Denver, 1983-1985. He has been involved in educational activities 

including Co-Chairman for the Cherry Creek High School Campus Planning 

Committee and was the guest design critic at the University of Colorado 

from 1966-1967. Mr. Sink has devoted much of his career to the design of major sports facilities and contributed his expertise to the success of more than 24 stadiums and arenas. His designs have been acclaimed nationally and 

internationally by a variety of publications and organizations. 

Projects included McNichols Sports Arena, Winnipeg Sports Arena, San 

Jose Sports Arena, Colorado State University Recreation Center and One 

Cheesman Place. 

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE 

The architectural drawings were donated in boxes and tubes labeled 

with the project names. In each project tube the drawings are arranged in 

chronological order starting with the preliminary drawings and 

concluding with the working or construction drawings. The project 

documents are organized by the same method as the drawings in 

alphabetical order. The documents in file folders correspond to the 

original order in which they were received. 

SEPERATED MATERIAL 

Photographs transferred to Western History Photograph Collection. They 

are arranged by project in alphabetical order and document the progress 

of the projects and completed buildings. The photographs consists 

mostly of color photographs and negatives although there are some 

projects documented in black and white. 

SERIES 1 PROJECT FILES AND OFFICE DOCUMENTS BOX 1-3 1959-1994 

The documents are organized alphabetically by project and are in the 

same order as the drawings. Materials in the series include 

correspondence, proposals, invoices, sketches, specifications, notes, 

newspaper clippings and appointment books. 

SERIES 2 ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS TUBE 1-37 1958-1978 

The series includes architectural drawings arranged in chronological 

order and organized by project. There are thirty-seven tubes in the 

collection. 

SERIES 3 OVERSIZE OVBOX 1-2, OVFOLIO 1 1945-1989 

The series includes architectural drawings, model, and college project. 

SUBJECT ACCESS 

Sink, Charles S. -- Archives. 

Architects -- Colorado. 

Arenas -- Colorado -- Denver -- Designs and plans. 

Arenas -- California -- San Jose -- Designs and plans 

>Architecture, Domestic -- Colorado -- Designs and plans. 

Worlld War 2, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American. 

War stories: the 1944 journals of Charles S. Sink. 

CONTAINER LIST 

SERIES 1 PROJECT FILES 

SERIES 2 ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING - COMMERCIAL PROJECTS 

SERIES 2 ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING - RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS 

SERIES 3 OVERSIZE 

_________________________

 Charles Sink: The Beginning of McNichols  by Sarah Schultz 

Charles Sink was a modernist and minimalist that did a majority of his work in the Denver area.  From his over 250 projects, Sink became known for his functional, cost-effective and sometimes even controversial designs.  His work appeared to be very simple but was actually very detailed in it’s planning.  Sink focused on the functionality of his buildings, he studied the lighting, and let the shape of his buildings follow.   Charles Sink was born in Valparaiso, Indiana in 1923.  He attended the Worlds Fair of 1933 and was inspired by the works of László Mology-Nagy and seeing Frank Lloyd Wright's houses to become a modernist.  Later, the International Style of design, by timeless master architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier would also influence him.

Unimark and the Denver Olympics

1n 1964, Ralph Eckerstrom and Massimo Vignelli began Unimark International, Incorporated. Eckerstrom was a Chicago designer, and president of the International Design Conference in Aspen in 1962.  Vignelli was an Italian designer whose philosophy was “If you can design one thing, you can design everything.”  With these two Unimark quickly became one of the largest design firms in the world.  They boasted such clients as American Airlines, IBM, Standard Oil, McDonalds, and Pepperidge Farms. Also, locally known logos and promotions for “The Ride” and “Ski Country USA” came out of these offices. With help from a proposal by Unimark International, Denver was set to host the 1976 Winter Olympics. Through a recommendation by IM Pei, Unimark contracted Charles Sink to design an arena for the Olympic festivities.  Having never designed an arena, it was quite a challenge.  To increase the difficulty slightly more, Sink was not given any direction: location, seating capacity, size were all left up to his imagination.  He completed the arena. 

Mayor Bill McNichols

In 1972, the people of Denver voted down a $5 million bond to finance the Olympic Games.  The Olympic plans were scrapped.  However the current mayor, William H. McNichols, Jr. really liked the drawings and plans for the new arena, so the project was saved.  Construction for McNichols Sports Arena was completed ahead of schedule in 1975.  At $10 million, the project came in under budget.  These two factors were quite rare and mayors from around the country flew into see this low cost, form follows function, municipal arena.  It was the biggest break of Charles Sink’s career, it lead to many arenas all over the United States and Canada. McNichols Sports Arena was built around sight lines, not corporate boxes like today’s mega-arenas.  It housed twenty-seven luxury suites and up to 17,171 capacity during sporting events. It was a clean, well-made municipal sports facility for Denver.  It was simplistic, easy to use, and effective.  Its lack of frills and lavishness extras could have been its downfall.

 The End of the Modernist Arena

In order to deal with a more commercial economy (and parking lot for Invesco Field), the McNichols Sports Arena was demolished in 1999, less than 25 years after it was completed.  It could have been saved for many functions very easily; it was a great concert hall and other uses. It was replaced by the Pepsi Center as the home for many of Denver’s sporting events and concerts. Charles’ son, Mark Sink says, “very sad for my dad .. to see something in his own life time that size be built and torn down ... that and the paraboliod IM Pei on the 16th street mall .. so sad to see them taken down. They are historical...its a shame.”   Charles Sink has built arenas are all over the US and Canada, from California to Boston. His firm that still carries his name is Sink Combs Dethlefs, are still known for their sports facilities. 

There website states:

“Sink Combs Dethlefs has a long standing reputation for the development of quality building design. Founded in Denver, Colorado in 1962, the firm has contributed its expertise to numerous facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Sink Combs Dethlefs works hand in hand with representatives from municipalities, private developers, government agencies, educational and other institutional client teams to create designs that meet the specific needs of the owners and users. Creativity, cost effectiveness, innovation, efficiency and excellence have characterized the process and the designs of Sink Combs Dethlefs for more than four decades.”

Every characteristic of this company still holds the values and aesthetic of Charles Sink.  A quick peak at their website reveals many arenas, recreational centers, stadiums, and college gymnasiums, that were possible because of Denver’s bid for the 1976 Winter Olympics.  

Colorado showcases the very strong and beautiful designs of Charles Sink.  From the mountains to the city, his designs stand out for their simplicity and modern designs.  Many of his early buildings are fast approaching the half-century mark, and they still are “modern” in design, seeming almost dateless.  Unfortunately, McNichols is no longer present, but it had such an eventful history that is would be a shame to let that disappear with it.  It is full of history from its conception to its long list of distinguished guests: visits from sports teams, great bands, and even Pope John Paul II.  McNicols was a treasure that brought great things to Denver, and even in its absence, it’s affect will not soon be forgotten.

Works Cited

Sink, Mark.  Personal Interview.  7 June – 20 July. 2007.   Conradi, Jan.  “Unimark International.”   HYPERLINK "http://www.unimark-international.com/" http://www.unimark-international.com/ (2004).

Sink, Charles.  “Numerical Index of Architectural Projects.”    “Il Miro Continuo.”  Domus.  February 1974.  Issue 24.  Sink, Charles.  “Sink Combs and Associates” Brochure.    “1976 Winter Olympics.”   HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Winter_Olympics" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Winter_Olympics  Sink Combs Dethlefs.  HYPERLINK "http://www.sinkcombs.com/projects/arena/index.html" http://www.sinkcombs.com/projects/arena/index.html 

Architect Charles Sink left a legacy of modernism in Denver

By RAY MARK RINALDI

The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: May 1, 2013 

Architects are indivisible from the objects they create.

They don’t get to build every bold thing they dream up — clients have their limits and safety inspectors have their rules — but in the design business you are what you make. And if not, you’re a sell-out.

So when a prolific architect like Charles Sink dies, you get a fair glimpse of his character from the body of work he left behind. Did he lead in his time instead of following others? Did he understand his city? Did he make beautiful objects and enable indelible memories?

Sink, who died April 12 at the age of 89, did all of that.

His legacy building, One Cheesman Place, the sleek, flat condo tower at the north end of Cheesman Park, is one of Denver’s true modern marvels. The 20-story matchbox, constructed in 1968, is an uncompromising example of all that Sink’s less-is-more generation could do.

The building gets it graceful elegance through rectangular geometry rather than relying on ornamentation. It connects to the treasured open space behind it with an entire wall of balconies overlooking the park. Yet, all of the balconies are recessed into the rear facade so they don’t break its rigid plane.

The relics of modernism can leave people cold, but this building makes an enthusiastic proclamation that man — even in the high-tech age — can live on the edge of nature without disrespecting it. For a city like Denver, perched on a giant wilderness, such pronouncements have a richer, wider meaning.

Sink designed the McNichols Sports Arena, which went up in 1975 and came down in 1999. Elvis Presley sold out all of its 19,000 seats in 1976. Michael Jackson did it twice in 1988. The Grateful Dead came through 13 times and U2 recorded parts of “Rattle & Hum” there.

The arena didn’t last. It was innovative with luxury suites, but didn’t have enough of them, and the Nuggets and Avs moved to Pepsi Center. But it set a standard for big indoor venues and they way they are constructed.

The firm Sink left behind, since morphed into Sink, Combs and Dethlefs, has grown into an international player in stadium design with offices in Denver, New York and Seattle.

Sink built homes across the region, including his own, known admiringly as the Charles Sink House, at 1050 S. Franklin St. in 1986. It’s a narrow bit of shelter, along Washington Park, but notable for its visual tricks. Many of its angles, from the chimney to the front gate, follow the lines set by its pitched roof. It too, makes few compromises.

Sink was a pioneer, for better or worse, of development in the Rockies. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, he constructed homes, restaurants, shopping centers and ski lodges in the Aspen, Copper Mountain and Keystone resort areas. He designed the Vail Clock Tower Building in 1965, which has become the resort’s iconic symbol.

In all, Sink had a hand in more than 250 residential and commercial buildings across the West. Sink specialized in the humble and handsome, structures people walk or drive by every day, like the 12-story 1900 Grant St., a stacked, post-modern office building with oversized square windows. Like a lot of Colorado architects, Sink capitalized on natural sunlight.

In 1991, he donated the records of his business to the Denver Public Library. The 37 oversized boxes, tubes and folios sum up the career of a Charles Stanley Sink who was born May 24, 1923, in Valparaiso, Ind., and was turned onto modernism during a family trip to the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago.

Sink started college at the University of Pennsylvania in 1941 but his education was interrupted by the draft two years later. He entered the U.S. Air Force, trained in the cockpit and took part in 35 missions, including a bombing run over Omaha Beach on D-Day.

He returned to his education, this time to Harvard where he got a graduate degree in architecture. It was a historic time at the school. Sink was a student of the famed modernist Walter Gropius and a classmate of I.M. Pei.

He moved to Denver in 1950, working for Victor Hornbein, did a stint back in New York City under Pei, then returned permanently to Denver, opening his own office in 1960.

Sink and Pei remained close and collaborated right away on downtown’s Court House Square, a legend in Denver’s architectural community, cited as the country’s first urban project to combine a department store, hotel, parking garages and public space into one development. The project was torn down as the 16th Street Mall developed and only the brutalist, concrete hotel, now a Sheraton, remains in its original form.

Sink did his civic duty. He was on the Denver Arts Commission from 1968 to 1983, and was active with the American Institute of Architects, serving as Colorado Chapter president in 1972. He was on the design committee for the Denver Tech Center. He has three children, Carol Patterson, Jenny Freeman and Mark Sink, a well-known photographer in Denver.

It’s a strong legacy and lately an official one. In 2012, the Denver AIA bestowed One Cheesman Place with its prestigious 25 Year Award, which honors a building that has “stood the test of time and still functions in its original capacity.”

Technically, the award goes to a project, but it really recognizes the architect. Charles Sink’s building stands and so does his reputation; a leader for sure, a modern man and a Denverite, no doubt.

Ray Mark Rinaldi