Renovation work begins at new KGNU HQ, studio space in Boulder

BOULDER — Renovation work began this month at 1720 14th St., a 10,000-square-foot office building that will soon become the headquarters and studio space for Boulder community radio station KGNU.

The station “is currently housed in a 5,900-square-foot facility, located at 4700 Walnut St. that is bulging at the seams, has older technology, and limited community space for the plethora of activities that KGNU hosts, including over 200 live in-studio artist on-air musical performances to date in 2024,” KGNU said in a news release.

As a result, “KGNU will adapt, repurpose, and upgrade their newly acquired downtown building to provide a resilient, flood-proofed, energy-efficient building equipped with a solar micro-grid rooftop and ample battery storage, permanent media training space, community cafe, rooftop deck, modern studios, and intimate performance space, all wrapped into this multicultural community media center,” the release said. 

The 46-year-old station, through holding company Boulder Community Broadcast Association LLC, bought the 14th Street building from 1720 Building LLC in April 2023 for $3.3 million, Boulder County real estate records show. 

KGNU expects the renovation and adaptive re-use work to cost $7.5 million, which it plans to raise through its Amplifying Community capital campaign and with help from a public match of $1.25 million from the City of Boulder.

“KGNU’s new home for media, arts, and culture will be like few others — a world-class media training hub, broadcast, and community center,” KGNU station manager Tim Russo said in a prepared statement. “We envision a dynamic place with expanded community space for discussions and debates, lectures, community conversations, concerts, and multicultural events that serve an ever-diversifying community across Boulder County and the Front Range.”

The new KGNU headquarters is expected to open in fall 2025.