Denver-based Palisade Partners is planning to build The Hooper, a nine-story mixed-use project at 2602 Welton Street in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.
Located on the same block as the historic Rossonian Hotel—a property also owned by Palisade Partners—the development would include over 6,000 square feet of ground-floor restaurant space, approximately 31,000 square feet of office uses, and 101 apartment homes of which 80% would be micro units.
The Google Earth image below shows the project site outlined in yellow.
In 2015, we reported on a proposal by Confluence Companies to restore the historic Rossonian Hotel and incorporate it into a larger office development on the adjacent lots. That project never got off the ground so in 2017, Palisade Partners purchased the Rossonian building from Confluence. Palisade is currently working on a new vision for the Rossonian that includes restoring the historic building into a 41-room hotel with a jazz club, restaurant, and lounge. Those plans for the Rossonian are still in the design and approval stages and are on a separate development timeline from The Hooper.
According to a recent Denver Business Journal article, the project’s name is in honor of Benny Hooper, a prominent Five Points businessman who owned a jazz club and casino, Benny Hooper’s, across Welton from the project site (now Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom). The Rossonian Hotel and Benny Hooper’s were just two of the dozens of clubs that made Five Points—the historic center of Denver’s African-American community—a nationally known jazz hotspot in the early 20th Century. (For more on Five Points’ history, check out these excellent resources here, here, and here.) The ground-floor space at The Hooper will be occupied by Busboys and Poets, a community-focused restaurant/bookstore/event space that will be opening its first location outside of the Washington DC area at The Hooper.
In July, the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission approved the design details for The Hooper. Also in July, a Site Development Plan was filed with the city and in October, a Building Permit application was submitted, both of which are still under review by the Community Planning and Development department.
Here are some photos of the site, which is presently occupied by a surface parking lot and four small one-story buildings: the three attached buildings at the corner and the small building with the bright red entry. In the last two photos below we can see the Lydian, an eight-story mixed-use project across 26th Street from The Hooper site that was recently completed by Palisade Partners.
From 27th and Welton, we have a nice view of the historic Rossonian and the rest of the 2600 block of Welton looking southwest toward the project site.
We have some renderings to share with you, courtesy of Craine Architecture, the project architect. These renderings were included in the project’s July 24, 2018 submittal package to the Landmark Preservation Commission.
Palisade Partners hopes to break ground on The Hooper in Spring 2019.
I like it. Brick seems like such a timeless material and a good choice. Much better than the obnoxious colors developers like to throw on. Hopefully the micro units will add some affordability.
I love this! If we could get a couple dozen of these brick projects sprinkled around the areas surrounding the downtown core, we’ll have some truly dense, walkable neighborhoods that’ll step up to the skyscrapers in the CBD very nicely. The rendering with the Rossonian in the foreground is so cool and is exactly what I hope many of Denver’s streets look like in the future.
It’s pretty disingenuous to recognize the black community of the past while simultaneously chasing off the black community of the present. I’ve worked in this area over the last seven years and most of the long standing black businesses have shuttered along Welton street as the population has increasingly grown whiter.
Brett, most of the new population growth in Denver is white especially in the urban core that fill up these apartment buildings. Would you rather there be vacant lots along Welton or new apartment buildings?
Progress is going to happen. You can’t stop it. At least the developer is recognizing history and paying homage to the African American community. The developer didn’t have to do that.
This is currently an empty, weedy lot fronting a light rail station. Who’s being chased off here, mice? Using language like “chasing off” is disingenuous as you’re implying malice where economic forces and changing preference explain the underlying causes. Cities and neighborhoods are always undergoing change–remaining static is not an option Yes, American cities have a past riddled with racism, disinvestment, redlining, etc–but attempting to turn back the clock to 1995 is not a solution. If you limit new development, you will only speed up and intensify gentrification. This project is doing more good than most since a) it is adding units, not merely renovating older housing stock to appeal to yuppies, b) it takes advantage of public transit potentially reducing the carbon footprint of newcomers, and c) it’s pretty good looking compared to much of the new development in this town.
All these white men on here talking about what the black community is going through.
Hi Cynthia, I’m curious which black community you are referring to. Five Points is not a black community.
lol. Look at this white dude here…
That’s true Eric. However it’s convenient what history we tend to recognize. We recognize this area as the “Harlem of the West” , yet ignore how it came to be known as that (redlining and racist segregation policies from the 1930s forcing African Americans into this area of the city) That’s why it’s disingenuous. 80 years later predominantly white developers take advantage of a depressed, mostly black neighborhood and revitalize it for a predominantly white population and then sanctimoniously pay homage to its black history. Doesn’t the cultural change of the neighborhood become all the more awkward as a Juneteenth celebration become more and more white?
As you said progress is going to happen. Why can’t that progress be aimed at keeping 5 points a predominantly black neighborhood as it flourishes? Why are those mutually exclusive?
Having been a resident of Five Points for about 14 years now I’m a proud example of the problem Brett.
I chose the neighborhood because of its diversity (my block 2500 Glenarm was approximately 30 percent black, 30 percent white and 30 percent Hispanic when I moved in.)
The mix of people was a big draw, as was the ability to get a nice house relatively cheaply.
But crying about developers moving in now is a waste- Five Points hasn’t been majority black for years and years (at least the area up and down Welton).
And, I’m struggling to see the value of a black majority (or any other race) enclave- surely that was what redlining did, no?
Gentrification is tough, but advocating for black only (or mainly) enclaves seems pretty bizarre to me.
Lastly, I am a pretty big fan of what Pallisades done along Welton. I’d have chosen less height if it was up to me but overall I think its great development in a area served by light rail- tough to complain too much about density right next to light rail.
Brett,
All of the new projects along Welton from Park Ave to 26th Ave have taken place on lots that were empty for decades. There was no “chasing off” of anyone of any color. The properties that were acquired for this project were legally purchased providing great return for the property owners. Some of these building have been vacant for the 20 years I’ve been in Five Points so I think it’s about time something positive is done. What has happened is that more people including African Americans can move into the neighborhood. Additionally, Five Points has not been a predominately black neighborhood for many years, certainly not in the past few years since development picked up on Welton. https://denvermetrodata.org/neighborhood/five-points.
I understand the sensitivity around Redlining, and segregation and unfair housing practices. And I’m not going to win a debate about race and gentrification. But the points you make are not accurate in regards to pushing people out or the predominate race in the neighborhood. You ask why can’t Five Points be kept predominantly black. The answer is because it isn’t now. And by providing more housing, maybe more blacks folks can move back to the neighborhood and embrace the culture of the past.
Brett Hughes: “Why can’t that progress be aimed at keeping 5 points a predominantly black neighborhood as it flourishes?”
How would you do that? “…Redlining and racist segregation policies…” perhaps??
Exactly Philip. How do you sculpt an area so that it’s occupied by a certain race? Do you erect artificial barriers to entry? Market forces must be allowed to run their course. If you don’t like it, organize the masses and help sway the market in your favor. If the market wanted Five Points to be predominantly black, it would happen.
“That’s true Eric. However it’s convenient what history we tend to recognize. We recognize this area as the “Harlem of the West” , yet ignore how it came to be known as that (redlining and racist segregation policies from the 1930s forcing African Americans into this area of the city).”
Not sure what you mean by “ignore.” There’ s been quite of lot of recent and historical media coverage of redlining in Denver and its impact on African Americans. Google is our friend:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Denver+redlining&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS751US751&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwik7eej0IbfAhVLn-AKHZPIDDsQ_AUIDigB&biw=1862&bih=919
“That’s why it’s disingenuous. 80 years later predominantly white developers take advantage of a depressed, mostly black neighborhood and revitalize it for a predominantly white population and then sanctimoniously pay homage to its black history.”
How are they “taking advantage” of the neighborhood? By filling empty lots with new buildings? By creating new businesses with new jobs? By driving foot traffic which makes a city safer? By creating hundreds if not thousands of relatively well-paying, construction jobs which historically employ significant numbers of minorities? By the rising land values of African Americans who own property in this neighborhood?
And I don’t see recognizing black history in Denver and the role of African Americans in this neighborhood as sanctimonious – by acknowledging history developers will help maintain and extend the understanding of this history, including redlining. It’s not hard to imagine people complaining, if the developers had not done this, that they were showing disrespect by ignoring this history.
“Why can’t that progress be aimed at keeping 5 points a predominantly black neighborhood as it flourishes? Why are those mutually exclusive?”
Now that’s a good question, but to me you are conflating the more narrow topic of “real estate development” with the much bigger challenge of widely-shared economic progress, minority income, and wealth distribution. Those are all huge, entirely legitimate topics. But don’t think, its realistic to lay all of those challenges at the feet of real estate developers, and expect easy answers, or expect them to “solve” those issues through some miraculous development plan. Obviously, encouraging (and requiring) affordable housing can help some, but only in a limited way (a relatively few benefit). The greater question is what to do you do to make African-Americans and other minorities flourish in the Denver and US economy so that they are able to participate in and be represented in a “flourishing” neighborhood? Damn good question, but not one, I think, that any developer on the planet can easily answer.
Love the respectful dialog above, I am a proponent of urbanization but if this site predominantly focuses on the built environment and not the other social impact (positive and negative) that come with gentrification we are missing an opportunity to learn and grow. Let’s have this conversation and the Five Points area is a great area to lead it.
An interesting discussion above, but I will only address one aspect of it because I think this is applicable citywide: minority-owned businesses and affordable commercial spaces. Now a lot of these new developments are generally filling up empty lots or, as in this case, replace small single-story commercial buildings. In this regard, the worst situation is when new developments either replace inexpensive commercial spaces with ‘market rate’ spaces or don’t replace them at all (just residential). Just as with affordable housing, I think the city should be proactive in ensuring that there are affordable commercial spaces—either in new developments or nearby in expanded mixed-use zones—and ensuring that commercial spaces are not completely lost.
I apologize for my comments. Obviously I don’t know the intention of Palisade Partners and I’m a middle-aged white guy speaking for the black community of which I am equally ignorant of, so I should have been more thoughtful of both before commenting.
Not a problem Brett (for me at least.)
I think most people on this site are aware of the costs of development. And, I suspect many of us white guys (for Cynthia’s benefit) are happy to help minimize disruption and maintain diverse communities- This site isn’t about Highlands Ranch after all.
So comment away as far as I’m concerned but be ready to defend your ideas- as you’ll have seen many people on this site have facts and figures in hand!
I’d guess most posters understand where you’re coming from at least even if they don’t agree with you at all.