El Chapultepec redevelopment plan denied, but Monfort Cos. to resubmit application

While suffering a setback, the effort to preserve a portion of the El Chapultepec jazz club, a Lower Downtown Denver landmark, is still alive.

A city commission has denied an application by Monfort Cos. to redevelop the El Chapultepec building at the corner of 20th and Market streets and a historic, two-story building next door at 1320 20th St. But the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission signaled in a meeting Thursday that it’s willing to consider a revised plan that addresses concerns about the scope of construction on the historic building.

Monfort Cos., owned by the family that owns the Colorado Rockies and McGregor Square in LoDo, plans to resubmit its application, possibly as early as the commission’s Oct. 3 meeting.

“The design we presented was the product of extensive community collaboration, including with Historic Denver. While we’re disappointed, we have conviction in our approach, and with some minor modifications, we expect to receive approval,” Kenneth Monfort, executive vice president for Monfort Cos., said in Friday in a statement.

“We believe strongly in the concept for this property. We have an opportunity to bring thoughtful and much-needed activation to a corner that has been dark for five years now,” Monfort added.

Jenn Cappeto, manager of Denver Landmark Preservation, said the city is working with company officials to help them understand what changes the commission is looking for.

“A denial of the Landmark Preservation committee and Lower Downtown Design Review Commission is almost never a full denial,” Cappeto said. “It’s usually that the project that’s proposed does not meet the guidelines, so they will recommend changes to a project to meet their guidelines.”

In the case of the Monfort Cos.’ project, which would preserve a portion of the well-known El Chapultepec exterior, the commission had concerns about a rooftop addition and alterations to the adjacent historic building, which houses the Giggling Grizzly sports bar.

“The commission was very supportive of the proposed work at the El Chapultepec building,” Cappeto said.

However, members believed the proposed rooftop and deck would overwhelm the other building’s historic character, she added.

Under the company’s plans, the two buildings would make up one business, expected to be a bar and restaurant. The El Chapultepec jazz club was in business for nearly 90 years before closing in 2020. Monfort Cos. bought the club and the Giggling Grizzly building for $5.38 million in 2022, according to property records.

Plans for the sites fueled concerns and protests when talk of demolishing the El Chapultepec building got out. The building was deemed uninhabitable because of various engineering and safety concerns, according to city documents. Kenneth Monfort said in an earlier statement that saving the building would be “physically impossible and cost prohibitive.”

Historic Denver filed a landmark designation application in March to save El Chapultepec. At the time, John Deffenbaugh, president and CEO of Historic Denver, said the “incredible music that took place” inside the club and its national reputation set El Chapultepec apart.

In June, Monfort Cos. announced a compromise with a new design it said would honor the legendary site. The proposal would preserve the main entrance to the former jazz club along with a short stretch of wall on either side. The building’s signature neon-cactus sign and red canopy will remain.

Deffenbaugh said in an email that with some design updates, Historic Denver hopes there will be a pathway to approval of the redevelopment project. “We are excited to see this corner of LoDo come to life in the year ahead.”

El Chapultepec was a hot spot for jazz for generations, from a renowned house group to such stars as Etta James, Art Blakey, Natalie Cole, the Marsalis brothers and Harry Connick Jr. There were reports of visits by such legends as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald.

Andrew Hudson, a third-generation Denverite, spoke in favor of the Monfort Cos.’ project. Hudson was in former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb’s administration and headed communications at the Regional Transportation District. He’s also a jazz musician who played for several years at El Chapultepec.

“Much like today, in the ’90s Denver was somewhat of a ghost town. The joke was you could roll a bowling ball down the 16th Street Mall and not be afraid of hitting anybody,” Hudson said.

The Webb administration worked with civic and business leaders to make downtown Denver “a dynamic, thriving and livable center,” Hudson said, and residents responded by approving billions of dollars in bond proposals for improvements. After the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of restaurant and nightclub closures, the city is currently at a junction, he said.

“We cannot and should not stand in the way of committed, dedicated and responsible developers like the Monforts who are doing everything they can to activate new excitement for downtown,” Hudson said.

Updated Sept. 6 at 4:56 to add comments.