Have you ever wondered what it’s like inside the Fontius Building, the deteriorating historic structure at 16th and Welton in Downtown Denver that’s sat mostly vacant for the last twenty years? Me too.
Evan Makovsky just recently took possession of the building from the Cook family and, thanks to Mr. Makovsky, Ben Kuruvila, and the rest of the good folks at Shames-Makovsky Realty, I was given the opportunity to photograph the interior of the Fontius before any remodeling gets underway. I’m happy to share a selection of those photos with you at my newest DenverInfill special feature: Inside the Fontius.
You’re going to be amazed at what you see. Here’s a sample:
Fortunately, it won’t look like this for much longer.
Don't tase me bro, but those are some very cool shots. How did you pull that one off?
Its kinda cool to see the inside of this place. Like a time capsule, shoulda never been let go like this though
Does anyone know if they plan on tearing it down? Seems like it would be just as expensive to clean all that out as tearing it down and replacing it completely. I have seen some ugly building interiors in my day, but this one is off the charts!
I recently toured the basement of the 1957-built Colorado Tower at 621 17th, which has been vacant for some time as well. That basement is also scary, with ancient vaults and safety deposit boxes, but is nothing compared to the Fontius Building. Good news on that front, the tired Colorado Tower is slated to be sold soon and the buyer plans a major rehab 🙂
I cannot believe they have a Josie Heath banner laying around. I think that was from around 1992.
https://denverinfill.com/wp-content/uploads/oldimages/special_topics/inside_fontius/inside_fontius_094.jpg
That place is a giant time capsule. Those safes and everything just sitting there! All that junk indicates how much of a flake the previous owner was. Either that or he was a complete pack rat.
I'm sure that it will look amazing when all is said and done. The preservation people need to back off about the windows and let them put in the latest and greatest. I'm all for keeping the look but they do need to be allowed to upgrade to current standards.
That is cool to see inside the different parts of the building, what a life that building has had. It will be great to see it come to life agian.
Wow. So sad to see how this building was allowed to deteriorate. The Cook family should be ashamed. We should also be taking a look at another deteriorating gem: the Colorado Building at 16th and California. Here is another example of a once-beautiful facility being allowed to rot. If I remember correctly, the building is owned by the Dikeou family, proud purveyor of tenements and parking lots…..
Speaking of make over, the 1800 Glenarm building at downtown, will get a toatl renovation from the developer of One Lincoln Park.
There will be only 14-16 units because most of the units will get a whole floor. I think they just had a pre-sale meeting the other night!
http://www.mondriancityhomes.com
Hopefully Fontius will get the same treatment
I'm just jumping in, having surfed in from . . … somewhere having to do with your archives and the Denver Terra Cotta Company. I'm involved with this project – http://www.archsculptbooks.com/home.htm – and am looking for info on the DTCC and various buildings in Denver. Can we talk? Einar
Hey Ken, what did it smell like in there?
Seeing the interior condition of the Fontius building really underscores how delinquent the owners were with maintenance.
All this certainly begs the question as to why would anyone sit on such an asset and simply let it it rot in a very public way.
I understand an unloved and neglected property in the middle of nowhere, but to let a functional property at the nexus of downtown development simply rot is a real waste.
Is there any idea as to what will take up residence in the renovated Fontius? Hopefully it won't be another t-shirt store.
How about a high fashion boutique….I'm crossing my fingers for a gucci!
I love that photo shot of the closet. Look at that Conoco gasoline barrel! That thing is from the 70's, easy.
Wow…unbelieveable!!! Time capsule galore. Even a Fontius bag inside. I'm especially intrigued by the basement closet that appears to have old lighting fixture inside. Then there's the old map of the Soviet Union next to the Herman cartoons. And I can't believe all that fur is still there…it's as if they just left it all one day, never to return. I've forwarded these pics over to the curators at the Colorado Historical Society to see if they might want to get there hands on a Fontius bag, Josie Heath poster or Dupler's Furs sale sign! Time capsule indeed. This is your best post ever!!! If anyone is interested about the old Orpheum Theater that used to stand behind the Fontius Bldg., I recently blogged about it over at denverhistorytours.com
I really wonder what will go in to this place. I would love to see an H&M, Zara's or some cool, upscale, New Yorkish type of clothing place. A really modern Apple store would also be nice. But please no tourist stores or fast food places. I'll vomit if I see another "food court" go into the 16th!!
Sorry Mr. Derrick….but H&M is anything but upscale…it's a sorry excuse for clothing boutique; selling it's poly-blended clothing at walmart prices, its a mob scene for obese women of a certain age, that most people should avoid.
They should put in a Ted Baker in the location. The closest flagship is located in Texas, and I'm sure there is a fairly good market in Denver for their clothing.
Thanks for these pics, Ken! They add even more intrigue to the enigma that is the former owner. Perhaps he's an anthropologist in his own mind, who created this multi edition time capsule.
Read in the paper this morning that a car crashed into the Welton St facade. How much damage did that cause?
in many of the photos I saw asbestos floor tiles, I am sure this is only the tip of the problem with cleaning up the building
Yes, I agree. It's the 16th Street Mall!…we need a very upscale store! No Target.
You dont need very upscale.. you need a place that downtown residents will shop at…
Goodlord, younger generations can be fashionable too anon 4:26, just because you may not like paying for investment pieces, doesn't mean downtown residents arn't ready for an upscale store. Its about time we get some "real" shopping in Denver. Enough with the half-assed t-shirt shops and crappy lables; it's time to break out of the shell a little bit.
Don't be a debby-downer!
kcollins what company is going to want to take the loss if it doesn't work? Why not a couple smaller mid to upscale stores that can appeal to a larger base of shoppers? Those stores will come in time, but if they jump the gun and over-do it then they close up and we have an empty store again.
No, kcollins is right. We already have "smaller mid" stores. Something like a big designer name would be huge…it's not like there's any kind of concentration of those here.