The decades-old establishment — one of the oldest and most popular LGBTQ+ venues in Denver — will reopen for one last bash on Sunday, October 8, before shuttering, the owners say in an email to customers.
"Triangle Bar Denver has closed indefinitely," reads an automated response. "The encampments surrounding us pose a health and safety concern to our staff and guests that has slowly suffocated our business."
The owners' email says the decision to close was based on a survey of 500 people, which found that 75 percent were visiting the business less often. Of those, more than 60 percent said they were coming less frequently because of safety fears brought on by the encampments.
According to management, "ever-expanding encampments" have "surrounded and suffocated" the businesses in the neighborhood, and there's not much more they can do.
"We have been injecting funds regularly into the bar just to keep the doors open while pressuring the media and the city to take corrective action, which finally occurred on September 27," the Triangle owners write. "For one single afternoon, we had our neighborhood back. Less than 24 hours later, camps returned, and despite our pleas, have seen no action from the city to stop the re-entrenchment."
On September 28, Danny Newman — owner of the Mercury Cafe, which is up the street from the Triangle, at 2199 California Street — told Westword that after encampments were cleared the previous day, homeless individuals moved to the doorstep of his business, making it impossible for visitors to enter.
The Triangle Bar has been situated inside the historic Triangle Lounge building in downtown Denver on and off since 1973. It closed two decades ago and the space went through other incarnations before the Triangle was resurrected in 2017 under new owners.
Those owners include Scott Coors, the son of Bill Coors, who once ran Colorado's most famous beer company.
Business owners have complained repeatedly about the encampments' effect on their establishments. "It's very frustrating to try to operate a public-facing business with the kind of stuff that people have to walk through," Newman told Westword on September 6. "If our revenues continue to decrease and as the problem gets worse and worse without a quick, immediate solution of some sort, we're just not going to be able to survive."
Scott Coors, Newman and other business owners in the area met with Denver Police Department officials, Denver City Councilman Darrell Watson and senior staff from Mayor Mike Johnston's office through August and September to talk about the issue. Newman said that after he and the others communicated their dilemma to the city, tents were moved several times, but the area is still overrun with encampments and homeless individuals.
Certain parts of the blocks where those businesses are located are part of a city-designated "permanently posted cleanup area," according to Nancy Kuhn, spokesperson for the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Scott Coors, Newman and other business owners in the area met with Denver Police Department officials, Denver City Councilman Darrell Watson and senior staff from Mayor Mike Johnston's office through August and September to talk about the issue. Newman said that after he and the others communicated their dilemma to the city, tents were moved several times, but the area is still overrun with encampments and homeless individuals.
Certain parts of the blocks where those businesses are located are part of a city-designated "permanently posted cleanup area," according to Nancy Kuhn, spokesperson for the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Being a permanently posted cleanup area means the city needs to regularly move physical structures, such as tents, because of "extent public health issues."
But that's not enough to persuade the Triangle's owners to stay open for now.
People who have tickets to upcoming events and brunch can get a full refund, including fees. The venue is asking customers to email them at [email protected] and to include their name, the price they paid, the date of purchase and last four digits of the card they used.
The Triangle's last bash, aka the "Farewell Beer Bust," is scheduled for Sunday at noon, with wristbands going on sale at 4 p.m. today, according to management. The kitchen will be closed; the bar is "very short staffed," according to the email announcement. But that's not stopping the party plans.
"Come help us empty our kegs while sharing stories and memories of good times at the Triangle and bid farewell to our amazing staff," the bar says. "We have worked hard to provide a safe and welcoming place for all members of our community to celebrate, play, and give back to others for the last 6 years. We thank you for your support and patronage along the way."
