Historic Denver and Monfort Companies couldn't see the future of the old brick building at 1962 Market Street that once housed the legendary jazz club El Chapultepec any more differently.
The preservationists want to save it. The developer wants to demolish it and build something new in its place.
The two parties met on Tuesday afternoon to see if they could come to a compromise, and while they did not, their talks aren't done.
When the company purchased the building back in 2022, Monfort Companies hoped to honor the jazz institution's legacy and perhaps find a way to reuse the building. It wouldn't be the first time. Monfort Companies has had an outsized role in the growth of the Ballpark neighborhood, including Riot House and Whiskey Row.
"In both cases, we preserved and executed on thoughtful redevelopment around those to the letter of the law," explained developer Kenneth Monfort.
But preserving the El Chapultepec building just doesn't make sense to Monfort.
"The building was in worse condition than we thought," explained Matt Runyon, a development partner with Monfort Companies.
According to Runyon, previous remodeling work did irrevocable damage to the building, which the city demanded be undone.
After studies from two engineers and comments from the Denver Fire Department suggested the building wasn't safe, Monfort's team decided to demolish the building and create a new, trendy entertainment concept where the jazz club once stood.
The new building would include an open-air hangout on the corner where the club used to be. While the developers would honor the past of the 'Pec by incorporating signage, the building itself would be entirely new.
But John Deffenbaugh, president of Historic Denver, believes historic buildings shouldn't be trounced for profit.
And as he sees it, El Chalputepec's legacy is worth the cost and effort of preservation. He hopes to convince Monfort Companies to back off of their plans to demolish the site.
"The building has not been condemned, it is still standing," Deffenbaugh told Denverite. "You know, older buildings do come with structural issues, and I firmly believe, there's no such thing as an expiration date for a building, and buildings do not have terminal illnesses. We live in a modern world with fantastic restoration and structural stabilization techniques. And really, anything is possible if there's a will to explore it."
On Monday evening, Historic Denver joined Elbra Wedgeworth and musician Ron Bland in filing a landmark designation to save the structure from demolition.
The move came as a shock to Monfort's team ahead of a Tuesday meeting between the preservationists and the developer.
"We spent the last year having those conversations with various stakeholders, so it was a surprise," Monfort told Denverite. "We had today's meeting on the books for over a week, which we held and felt strongly that it needed to take place. It was a good conversation. We have disagreements, I think that's understandable. And we've made a commitment to one another to continue the conversation."
Historic Denver said the move to file landmark designation status ahead of Tuesday's meeting was coincidental timing.
"They're quite separate things," Deffenbaugh said. "We had been becoming concerned for many months about the condition of the building and the property owners' stewardship and plans for it. So we chose to file an application for landmark designation. It was not clear to me what the property owners' intention was for this meeting."
While Monfort Companies hopes to avoid a protracted fight over preservation, it does not currently plan to back off from proposing demolition, and in turn, Historic Denver has no plans to stop pursuing landmark designation.
If Historic Denver loses its fight, what would Monfort replace the El Chapultepec building with? New renderings from Circle West Architects show just that.
For starters, demolition of the El Chapultepec building is necessary, Monfort maintains.
"The possibility of maintaining facades is just not there," Runyon said. "It is immensely difficult work to do. And in that type of space, with the amount of structural work that's required, it's just not possible to logically get that work done."
Even so, the company plans to maintain the structure of the adjacent bar, Giggling Grizzly.
A rendering of Monfort Companies' plans for the old El Chapultepec building downtown. Courtesy: Circle West Architects/Monfort Companies
"Our design considers conserving that building to the furthest extent that we would be required, and redeveloping that alongside El Chapultepec into a very thoughtful redesign," Monfort said.
Instead of more brick walls, the corner where El Chapultepec once stood would be an open-air patio, bordered with waist-high planters, creating a break from the brick that lines the sidewalks and opening up the block.
Above the ground-level patio would be an additional rooftop space overlooking the block.
As Monfort sees it, even though the building will be different, the project will still find ways to acknowledge the 'Pec's past.
Two neon El Chapultepec signs would remain on the exterior. What happens inside would also evoke the history.
"There's opportunities for us within the programming and the interior to contain all of that legacy, which is just something that we've set out to do since the very beginning," Monfort said.
Do those gestures meet the muster for preservationists?
"Historic Denver is in the business of protecting and promoting Denver's built and historical heritage," explained Deffenbaugh. "So, you know, our ambition is to work with the property owner to retain some aspect of the existing building."
