Makovsky Snags the McClintock Building

As described in the story “Evan Almighty,” developer Evan Makovsky made celebratory headlines last summer when he managed to buy up most of decrepit Block 162 in the middle of downtown Denver so the eyesore could be redeveloped. The only building on the block Makovsky did not acquire was the...

By Joel Warner

February 12, 2008

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As described in the story “Evan Almighty,” developer Evan Makovsky made celebratory headlines last summer when he managed to buy up most of decrepit Block 162 in the middle of downtown Denver so the eyesore could be redeveloped. The only building on the block Makovsky did not acquire was the Washington-McClintock Building on the corner of the 16th Street Mall and California Street. Now, however, Makovsky has snatched up that building, too, as the DenverInfill Blog first reported last week.

“Our partnership did purchase the Washington-McClintock Building,” says Makovsky. “It is good to control the entire block but it is not necessary that all of the pieces are needed for the new development.” Unlike the rest of the block, the Washington-McClintock Building is in relatively good shape. The idea behind the acquisition, explains Makovsky, is not to redo the historic edifice, but instead have comprehensive control over the block as he moves forward in the planning of a major new mixed-use project on the site – the finer details of which have yet to be announced.

In other words, he says, “The Washington-McClintock Building is on status quo.” That means that the building’s current tenants – including Anthony’s Pizza on California Street – are for the time being safe from eviction. Pizzaphiles everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief. –- Joel Warner

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Joel Warner is a former staff writer for Westword and International Business Times. He's also written for WIRED, Men's Journal, Men's Health, Bloomberg Businessweek, Popular Science, Slate, Grantland and many other publications. He's co-author of the 2014 book The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, published by Simon & Schuster.

Contact: Joel Warner