Francois Safieddine purchases the former Mori

For decades, Mori was one of our favorite Japanese restaurants, a real find tucked behind the Nisei lodge at 2015 Market Street, in an area that was far from a hipster hangout before the ballpark moved in. The place never quite recovered from a remodeling that turned the dark, cozy...

By Patricia Calhoun

September 14, 2010

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For decades, Mori was one of our favorite Japanese restaurants, a real find tucked behind the Nisei lodge at 2015 Market Street, in an area that was far from a hipster hangout before the ballpark moved in.

The place never quite recovered from a remodeling that turned the dark, cozy veterans' bar in front into a sake bar, though, and two years ago, Mori suddenly closed.

Now this prime piece of property -- in the shadow of Coors Field, but outside the confines of the LoDo Historic District (and its design review board) -- has been purchased by club king Francois Safieddine, who bought it from the Nisei Veterans Heritage Foundation for a reported $900,000. The spot, which includes a huge parking area, has a lot of potential, and plans are still in the early stages, according to marketing veep Paulina Szafranski.

And that's not all: Safieddine's Lotus Concepts Properties has also purchased the Zeppelin-owned building at 1414 Market for a cool $1,525,000.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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