But last month the spot at 4586 Tennyson Street was taken over by Niya Diehl, who'd been the manager of Mead Street Station for five years; Grant Gingerich, owner of El Camino, and Chris Jeffrey. They've been turning the space into Local 46, a saloon they plan to have open by Saturday, April 28, which is also the date of Totally Tennyson, an '80s-themed pub crawl along Tennyson Street that will benefit a dozen schools in northwest Denver.
"We really want it to be a local community tavern," Jeffrey says. "We're really looking for it to be the spot in the neighborhood to go to when you're looking to get a few drinks."
Through the remodeling process, Diehl says, the partners have reused and recycled as much as possible; sustainability will continue to be an important part of the bar's business model, which also will emphasize supporting local schools and community organizations.
"We have enjoyed meeting long-term residents from the community who could share pieces of the long history of the building way back when it was two storefronts: a beauty salon on one side and convenience store on the other, up to when it turned into a bar in the '50s, and heard stories from a sweet woman who tended bar there over forty years ago," Diehl says.
While they're paying respect to the past, they're also hoping to add a handcrafted biergarten to the south side of the building -- if they get approval from the city.
While they're still working out a weekly schedule of events, Jeffrey says they plan on least one night of karaoke a week, since the Music Bar was always packed on its karaoke nights. Since they're keeping the stage, they also want to bring in live music.
Since the current remodeling plans didn't include a kitchen, Local 46 won't be serving food.
