Infill projects come in all shapes and sizes. Take, por ejemplo, the newest infill development in Lower Highland… Little Man Ice Cream. Joining the block that also includes Lola and Vita, Little Man Ice Cream is the brainchild of Paul Tamburello, who’s done more than his share to help transform Highland into the sizzling-hot neighborhood that it has become.

Thursday night was the “topping off” of Little Man Ice Cream’s new, um, “building” and its grand opening too. You see, Highland’s newest infill project is a giant milk can. It’s really pretty cool. Here’s the scene Thursday night…

This:

needed to go on top of this:

It was a party-like atmosphere as a couple hundred neighbors gathered at the grid-transitioning intersection of Tejon, W. 30th Avenue, and 16th Street to watch the topping off and to enjoy free ice cream:

Finally, the 7,000-pound lid came to a gentle rest to complete the project:


Oh, in case you’re wondering, a trap door in the roof of the can’s base allowed the workers to escape after bolting the lid in place from the inside. Anyway, the whole process was somewhat reminiscent of this event from August 2006 that took place just a block away.

Paul named the shop in honor of his deceased father, whose nickname was “Little Man” due to his short stature. For more on Paul and his newest Highland venture, read this article from the Denver Post‘s Margaret Jackson from a few weeks ago. Welcome to the neighborhood, Little Man!