Rusnak to Preserve 1929 Swanson & Peterson Building In Response to Community Concerns

Rusnak Automotive Group announced Thursday that it will be preserving the 1929 Swanson – Peterson Furniture Company building as part of development plans for a Porsche dealership on East Colorado Boulevard. 

Paul Rusnak, the company’s President, said  “Although the building is not a designated historic building, we heard the concerns of the  community and invested extensive resources to make this happen.”  

Rusnak has pending plans for a two-story Porsche dealership on a 4.4-acre site near the  intersection of Sunnyslope Avenue and East Colorado Boulevard. The plans were put on hold by the Planning Commission last summer, in part because of concerns raised by the community about preservation of the Swanson building. 

Rusnak has been challenged in making the site work because of physical requirements demanding shallow sloping driveways to accommodate the low rise of the Porshe vehicles,  programming requirements from Porsche, and city planning requirements. 

The Swanson-Peterson building, facing onto Walnut Avenue, is a two-story brick factory with a  sawtooth roof and extensive windows. Historians have deemed it an example of a “daylight factory” known for extensive natural lighting. Under the new Rusnak plans, the building will be used in part for service bays. Considerations for the remainder of the building include vintage Porshe display and associated programming. 

John Beed is the Director of Real Estate at Rusnak Auto Group, shared “It wasn’t easy, but we’re proud to be able to preserve  this building for the community and incorporate it into Porshe’s vision.” 

The Rusnak proposal will be returned to the Planning Commission for further review in the fall.