El Chapultepec building, once a centerpiece of Denver nightlife, has new plans
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DENVER (KDVR) — Three months of meetings and planning have culminated in two opposing groups finding a compromise for the future of the building that was once El Chapultepec in Denver.
The building, located at 1962 Market Street, closed in 2020 after serving as a jazz club for nearly 90 years that hosted greats like Art Blakey, Etta James and Chet Baker. The venue also drew in legends from a variety of genres, including The Police, ZZ Top, Santana, Ed Sheeran, Frank Sinatra and even former President Bill Clinton.
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Kenneth Monfort, executive vice president of Monfort Companies — which owns the building — and John Deffenbaugh, president and CEO of Historic Denver, met with FOX31 on Tuesday to discuss the building’s future.
“Though the building’s integrity poses significant safety issues, and many major elements of the structure remain impossible to save, we invested significantly in developing a solution that prioritizes the preservation of the building’s distinctive architectural elements,” Monfort said. “It honors the building and area’s legacy, tells the story of this building.”
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In March, Historic Denver filed for a landmark designation from Denver in an attempt to prevent the building’s owners from demolishing the crumbling structure.
On Tuesday, that landmark designation filing was withdrawn and a previous Lower Downtown Design Review Commission application was also withdrawn to show that Monfort Companies and Historic Denver are mutually moving forward on the project. A new project design that both approved was also submitted to the commission on Tuesday.
In March, Monfort Companies allowed reporters inside the building, showing the structure’s guts, complete with crumbling walls, floorboards coming apart and further evidence of weather and time in the building. The company initially determined that plans to save all or parts of the building were prohibitive and could be unsafe, but that’s since changed.
The new plans are intended to help make the building another staple of the Ballpark neighborhood, but not necessarily for nightlife or summer-based activities. The goal is to create a year-round, national destination that is food-forward and active year-round.
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The plans will also save the “infamous” red door, as Monfort called it, that opens at the intersection of Market Street and 20th Avenue, in addition to some of the original brick and iconic signage on that same corner. Portions of the original materials of the north- and west-facing walls will also be preserved, in addition to a new glass structure that will echo the landmark building’s silhouette.
Current plans have the glass etched with the brick pattern, giving viewers the impression that the 130-year-old brick continues along the street. During the three months of meetings to create these plans, local architects Chris Shears, of SAR+, and Richard Farley, of Richard Farley Urban Design, were invited to join the meetings in a peer review capacity alongside the project architect Peter Koliopoulos with Circle West Architects.
Monfort said the transparency of the glass wall will help illuminate the currently dark and largely windowless structure into a well-lit, pedestrian-friendly and active space, meeting a goal of improved safety and visibility for downtown visitors.
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To shore up the existing brick facade, Monfort plans to install a combination of load-bearing concrete masonry and structural steel columns with lateral steel ties into the existing brick. The adjacent building at 1320 20th Street, which was once the Giggling Grizzly, will have an extended second-story balcony, “creating multi-level activation and a scaled space for restaurant operators,” according to Monfort.
“It’s a win-win,” Deffenbaugh, with Historic Denver, said on Tuesday, adding that including a historical celebration of the building does not mean it cannot have “revenue-generating outcomes.”
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