The History of the Meadowlark: From Gravel Floors to a Beloved Musical Haven

For first-timers, locating the Meadowlark's hidden basement bar amid the hustle and bustle of Larimer Street can be a formidable task. The venue's entrance includes a steep, narrow staircase that is often cramped with patrons and poses a challenge for the naturally clumsy and tipsy alike. But these initial obstacles don't detract from its many charms, and the bar's warm, lively atmosphere, filled with laughter, karaoke and killer tunes, appears in the unexpected locale as if by magic.

The Meadowlark, now a beloved Denver staple, wasn't always ensconced in the quaint basement space. In 2000, Larimer Street, now abuzz with lounges and restaurants, was an industrial ghost town. Loy Merck, now co-owner of the Meadowlark with Erik Ludwig, stumbled upon the property by happenstance. Merck was an ironworker at the Volunteers of America structure across the street when he got into a fight on the job and was laid off. Dejected, he was leaving the work site when a "For Sale by Owner" sign at 2701 Larimer caught his attention.

He fell in love with the potential of the unfinished, gravel-floored basement and purchased the building. "I thought that doing the bar in the basement would be the greatest thing, going from zero to a thriving business," Merck shared in a 2021 interview with Westword. He revamped the dilapidated building and renovated the upper levels into rentable apartments and office spaces. Merck pulled inspiration from chic, dimly lit basement bars in New York City to create the intimate speakeasy. After years of dedicated work, the venue opened its doors on December 27, 2005.

The Meadowlark quickly became a musical hot spot, aided by Jonathan Bitz, the bar's talent buyer from 2007 to 2011 and later the owner of Syntax Physic Opera, which is now the Roxy on Broadway. Meanwhile, Ludwig joined the crew in 2012 as a bouncer and swiftly bonded with Merck. "He's a very interesting guy. I was kind of drawn to him, you know?" Ludwig says, highlighting Merck's captivating stories, including his time as a medic in the 82nd Airborne Division in 1968 in Vietnam.

Ludwig assumed the role of manager in 2013. "I sent him a text, offering...help because I had heard that the old manager was quitting, and then he called me," he says. Four years later, Ludwig became a co-owner. The fast and furious rise through the ranks required flexibility and speedy adaptation.

"It was a crazy learning experience, for sure. I learned a lot. I still barely know what I'm doing," he reflects. "It took a long time to get it figured out and to where it's working efficiently. Now I have a couple of managers and an unbelievably cool staff." That staff "is like a family," he adds. "It's way fun, and everybody gets along really well. I think everybody is pretty satisfied with the work that they're doing."

It hasn't always been sunshine and roses, however; the Meadowlark has weathered some harrowing challenges. In 2019, it was hit with a lawsuit by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, who alleged that the venue was profiting from the works of various musicians without permission. Ludwig says that both parties eventually came to an agreement.

Then in 2020, the Meadowlark was struck with another unforeseen test: COVID-19. Ludwig says the bar lost around half its staff and closed for six months in the spring of that year. He remembers this time as "terrifying."

"We're doing okay [now], but we had to take out some loans to get through being closed for so long," he recalls. "I tried to pay as many employees as I could, but it's tough."

Although the Meadowlark is still recovering from the pandemic, the collective efforts of Ludwig, Merck and the bar staff have created a communal haven that continues to foster a vibrant musical community. Musicians such as Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites from the Lumineers are just two examples of the talented acts that have graced the small stage during the venue's countless open-mic nights and weekly performances.

"I went to the open mic at Meadowlark and heard act after act, musician after musician, that were really fucking good," Schultz told Westword in 2012. "It really kind of blew me away. I heard people like Sawmill Joe, Esmé Patterson from Paper Bird, Tyler Despres and Maria Kohler, who were hosts of it at the time, and they would do songs from Science Partner, and Tyler would perform stuff from the Dualistics."

The Meadowlark hosts a weekly karaoke night, soul nights with DJ Miggy and company, and self-care Saturdays with DJ Daytona and friends. The bar's recently created Off the Cuff residency, hosted by Emmanuel Alexander, known musically as Namebackwards, is a weekly improvisation performance by professional BIPOC musicians. The Wednesday night residency was created to highlight musicians of color in a historically Black neighborhood. Ludwig says his favorite event is the jazz night, which invigorates the venue every Monday at 9 p.m.

"On different nights we play different music, so you're going to catch a way different crowd on Monday than you are on a Wednesday or a Friday or a Saturday," Ludwig says. "So it's anybody and everybody in between."

Such diverse offerings have made the Meadowlark a Denver staple, and Ludwig's goal for the venue is simple: for it to be an "awesome place to go and check out some music and see some good people."

Mission accomplished.