Over the past couple of days since DenverInfill broke the news about the new hotel/condo tower at 15th and Stout, John Rebchook at the Rocky Mountain News has had two blogs on the topic that contains some very interesting information about the project. In case you missed them, please check out his blogs here and here. Or, if you prefer, here are the PDF versions: Financing will be tough for hotel on Burger King site, More on the latest hotel planned downtown
Thanks, John, for your excellent follow-up on this story!
After reading John Rebchook's blog, it seems to me that the developer is a little whacky. 100% better than the Four Seasons?? Unlikely!
I've come away with diminished confidence that the project will happen. Too bad because it's a great looking building.
Sounds like this developer is extremely passionate and optimistic about this building…although I'm not too sure how realistic his ideas are. But who am I to question this guy?! 15mm is a good start
Sounds like Mocevic is more excited about this than anyone. Which is definitely good. If he's persistant enough, he should be able to get the financing.
It's hard for me to believe that they ranked Denver downtown as a red for luxury hotels? It seems to me it'd be a pot of gold. Hotels here are always running at near capacity these days. I guess they're factoring in the added competition the Four Seasons will bring?
I'm willing to believe that a Serbian refugee thats living the American dream, has the work ethic and persistence to put up some damn good hotel rooms. I loved that second article, I could just hear his accent.
I think this is a promising building, and the developer seems to really want to complete this building.
I think that this building will probably be completed, but I also think it may experience some setbacks.
Anyone else alarmed about his eventual plans to bulldoze the Tarantula Billiards building?
It's one thing to redevelop an old Burger King, but it's quite another to destroy a perfectly good and well-used historic building.
All of the businesses in that building (except maybe the liquor store) are great additions to downtown and really speak to the heart and soul of that part of the city. Replacing them to expand a generic hotel is definitely going to do little to make downtown a more vibrant or interesting place.
I am definitely not someone who is anti-development. I think the proposed hotel sounds for that site sounds great. But it's unfortunate that in many cases progress means destroying pieces of Denver's soul.
Don't people understand that if we lose that, we lose the reason people want to live in Denver in the first place?
I don't see why he even mentioned his plans to bulldoze the tarantula building, seeing as how they're so speculative at this point.
Overall, the developer seems a little naieve to me, but at least he seems like he has plenty of equity and is willing to hire a development team that knows what it's doing.
Tarantula is in bad shape. I knew someone who worked at the coffee shop there and they were constantly having to shut down due to a variety of problems with the foundation or asbestos
Bad shape or not, some low rise buildings with affordable rents and established tenants are always a good thing. I am optimistic concerning Makovsky's plans, but the 15th street tavern was part of Denver's greatness, as are Tarantula's and Leela's. Shag lounge may some day be a favorite as well, but according to this blog they may never get the chance. With so many empty blocks, tearing down the funky or wacky little buildings for speculation seems short sighted. I understand those empty blocks aren't always owned by the developing parties, and the issue is complex, but as a downtown resident that does not own a million dollar condo, I would like to see some of the small stuff, the nightlife, the coffee shops left behind so I don't have to eat at fancy restaurants and dance at snooty clubs every night. Just some nights.
Even if the building has some problems, the solution shouldn't automatically be bulldoze and build something else. It's a great little historic building on a street that has lost many in the last few decades and we need to preserve that heritage or it goes the way of Duffy's and many other historic properties throughout downtown.
I like Tarantula Billiards, but that bit on asbestos; yikes!
Maybe they could share the ground floor of a possible new building in the future? 😉
I do not see the need to demolish the Tarantula Billiards building at least until we reach the point when the numerous parking lots on 14th and 15th are redeveloped. I would love to see the pawn shop further down on 15th demolished. People complain that La Boheme is unappealing, the pawn shop makes 15th really look ghetto. The La Boheme building itself is nice and should never be torn down no matter what it is used for. I think it was a shame that the most historically significant and attractive old building on that block was destroyed. I am taking about the Davis and Shaw building that was where the Spire is now going up. It would have been nice if they built the Spire completely along 14th Street or something and saved the Davis and Shaw.
I am with anon. 3:45. I am not for demolishing buildings when we have plenty of surface parking lots in that section of downtown to develop first. Get rid of those parking lots and some developer will eventually offer a lot of money to those less "desirable" places like La Bo and the Pawn Shop to move somewhere else.
I used to frequent 15th St Tavern and Duffees (Greg and Johnny at Duffees were the two greatest bartenders ever – stern smartass's, but with hearts of gold…and I once had a conversation there with Bill Murray, who loved the "real" atmosphere there compared to what he found at the Brown Pallace accross the street).
But Tarantula? Have any of you ever been in Tarantula? Nothing but riff raff. The one time I went in there, people were going through the place, interupting pool games to beg for change. A man selling knives came up to us and opened up his trenchcoat to show us his selection. A display of dozens of knives of many shapes and sizes was dangling from the inside of his coat – just like in a cheezy movie. I couldn't believe it! It HAS to be illegal to cary around that many knives….
Anyway, we ditched the place after the second brawl broke out. I remember walking out of there thinking, "someone should shut that place down" as I switched my wallet back to the back pocket from the front pocket I put it in as soon as I got a look at Tarantula's clientelle.
Now I'm not saying anyone should tear the building down; I'm just saying that unlike Duffy's and 15th St Tavern (I saw many a good show at 15th and played a few too) Tarantula Billiards has no cultural value what-so-ever. It can only improve Denver when that riff raff magnet is shut down.
I doubt that tarantulla has any historic value either.
I'm sitting in Leela's typing this right now – and I'd be pretty pissed off and if the developer demolished the place. Yeah, Tarantula makes this whole block pretty much unsafe after midnight and diminishes Leela's as a rare 24/7 spot to hang in the city. I know nothing about the asbestos problems with the building, but surely 15th can't possibly afford to lose ANOTHER historic building. It's been gutted as it is.