Barth Hotel Assisted Living to Close After Over 40 Years in Downtown Denver

For the past four decades, anyone walking by the Barth Hotel would be hard-pressed not to find a member of the assisted-living facility sitting on the benches outside, feeding pigeons, petting passing dogs or chatting up pedestrians. The historic building has long provided an accessible space for aging and disabled Denver residents to enjoy downtown living.

But the community staple will soon close its doors for good. Barth Hotel Assisted Living is set to shut down on January 10, forcing the facility's 53 residents to move out, according to ownership.

"This decision wasn't made lightly," says Tamar Berner, director of development for Senior Housing Options (SHO), the nonprofit that runs the Barth facility. "It's something we agonized over and obviously would have avoided if we could. But to stay sustainable and help all of our residents for years to come, we had to make this really tough decision."

The condition of the aging hotel has become a safety concern for residents and staff, according to a release from SHO. Erected in 1882, the building needs between $8 million and $10 million in repairs and improvements to address things like electrical and plumbing issues, Berner adds.

"We just couldn't upkeep it anymore," she says. "Our board and senior leadership did a full assessment to see if we could hold on to the property, and it just isn't financially doable for us. We recognize how hard it is for the Barth residents and staff. We're trying to support them as best we can during this transition."

SHO is seeking to sell the property located at 17th and Blake streets. Berner says the organization is in the early stages of the listing process and has not yet set an asking price, instead focusing efforts on finding new homes for the Barth residents.

Around fifteen of the 53 residents will move to one of SHO's other assisted-living facilities in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood, Longmont, Cortez and Garfield County, according to Berner. But with those fifteen new arrivals, SHO's facilities are at capacity. The company has no plans to open a new location to replace the closing Barth.

"We will find homes for everybody. Nobody will be left unhoused," Berner promises. "We are working with their families and case managers and our staff to find them the best home that fits their needs."

The nearly twenty staff members at Barth were given the opportunity to apply to other SHO facilities, Berner says. Although the closure was announced weeks ago, Berner says all of the staff chose to stay until the last day of operation on January 10 to ensure that the residents transition successfully, "which is really a testament to how much they care."

Barth Hotel has operated as an assisted-living facility since the 1980s, after SHO bought the building in 1981. The year prior, it was celebrated as the oldest continuously running hotel in Denver, according to the LoDo District.

The 62-unit facility houses mostly low-income residents, providing 24-hour care, meals, medication administration and personal care help, among other services.

"The Barth Hotel has served as a cornerstone of our community, providing compassionate care and a sense of home for countless residents over the years," says Vennita Jenkins, CEO of SHO. "We are deeply grateful to our residents, their families and our dedicated staff for their unwavering support and contributions to this legacy. ... While this chapter is closing, the spirit and mission of our work remain unchanged."

Berner says SHO is collecting donations at seniorhousingoptions.org to help the nonprofit continue to run its other assisted-living facilities and low-income apartment complexes, which house more than 300 residents throughout the state.

To support the Barth residents directly, Berner says the staff is making care packages and collecting gifts for them ahead of the holiday season. Anyone interested in contributing to those efforts can contact Berner at 303-595-4464, ext. 114.

"Our priority is to make sure that they're taken care of," Berner says. "All in all, they're doing very well. But it was a bit of a shock. Some of these residents have lived with us for a very long time.

"We're trying to make the holidays as special as we can for them."