August 27, 2025, Silverthorne, CO
Your mission? Deliver a metal building that is cost-effective, well-constructed, energy efficient, equipped for multiple retail and commercial uses, and a focal point for its community. Can you do it? Milender White did, and you can see the results at Bluebird Market in Silverthorne.
This food hall and event space was just spotlighted in the latest edition of Architectural Significance in Metal Buildings: An Educational Series: Bluebird Market_2025.pdf
Constructed by Milender White, Inc. (MWI) as part of a public-private partnership with the Town of Silverthorne, Bluebird Market is the hub of the $100 million Fourth Street Crossing project, a new town core attracting both Summit County locals and tourists.
The food hall seats 650 and offers a variety of local and regional dining options. Families visit the building not just for the food and drink but also for the PlayGarten, a four-story play area for kids and their parents.
MWI and the architecture firm of NEOstudio led the $10.2 million design-build project, which had to meet stringent building code requirements on the way to completion. Trade partners had to rise to the challenge. In the words of Tony DeMario, president of Heath Steel, LLC, “this was the most complex, custom-engineered metal building we’d done. This project had every complicated design element possible for a metal building, including a variety of roof forms and slopes, tight site constraints, logistical challenges and a winter start date for construction.”
The roof design standards stated that no mechanical equipment could be visible, and that solar panels had to lie flat and run parallel with the roof slope to guard against excess drifting and ice build-up. Foregoing a traditional roof ridge, the project team chose an offset ridge that allows more natural light. Cranes and boom lifts were used for the erection of the steel superstructure and building envelope within a tight site. River rock had to be blasted through and excavated from the location. The construction season in Silverthorne is usually five months (May-September), and winter typically brings more than 100″ of snowfall. Closed highways and limited areas for staging materials also impacted the project.
While the challenges were numerous, going with metal building technology was clearly the right decision. “I knew that a metal building could achieve the openness and industrial appearance, cost efficiency and streamlined construction process we needed for this food hall and market,” says MW Development Executive Tim Fredregill. “The clear-span spaces also provided the flexibility to create food preparation and serving spaces that met the needs of different restaurant tenants.” Those spaces also allowed for flexibility when it was determined that a planned event hall would be better off reinvented as a children’s play area.
Crucially, the design preserved the Old Dillon Inn, a historic building relocated to the site decades earlier. “The Inn had evolved to be several structures cobbled together,” Fredregill explains. “We determined it wouldn’t likely survive another move. I knew about the versatility and efficiency of metal buildings and that we could build over and around the Inn, so that’s what we did.” The Inn now sits inside the 28,954 sq. ft. structure.
As Fredregill notes, “The most important thing is for architects to design something buildable, versatile and financially viable. Otherwise, all you have are pretty pictures. Since metal buildings can achieve all these objectives, designers should keep this technology in their repertoire.”
Visit Bluebird Market today, and you will see a building much loved by its community and much admired for its construction.
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Milender White is a full-service real estate company dedicated to delivering outstanding results on every project, unsurpassed service to clients, and superb career opportunities – with a total commitment to safety, quality and integrity. We proudly deliver award-winning commercial and residential projects based on proven systems, advanced technology, and cutting-edge design development. MW takes pride in building inclusive projects that meet the needs of the city, and it strives to become part of the fabric of the communities in which it develops. Visit us at www.milenderwhite.com.
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