Brendan's rolling into Denver Wheel Club at 404 Broadway

Jerry Feld bought his bar at 404 Broadway before he was even old enough to have a liquor license; for the first year, it was in his uncle's name. Feld went on to run Club 404 for sixty years, creating generations of fans. But once he hit eighty, he was...

By Patricia Calhoun

December 4, 2012

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Jerry Feld bought his bar at 404 Broadway before he was even old enough to have a liquor license; for the first year, it was in his uncle's name. Feld went on to run Club 404 for sixty years, creating generations of fans. But once he hit eighty, he was finally ready to move on -- and last February, after a few months of renovation work, the address reopened as the Denver Wheel Club 404, a very bike-friendly bar. That incarnation has now rolled to a halt -- but the bar is still open, now going by the name 404.

But not for long.

Jerry Feld had sold Club 404 the bar to Craig and Andrew Caldwell; Brad Evans, the designer behind the Denver Cruisers, transformed the place into a hipster hangout with a bicycle theme. But late last week, Evans and fellow Cruiser Damon Bruno rolled out the bad news that the Denver Cruiser Ride is no longer associated with the bar "formerly known as the Denver Wheel Club." That's because they're taking that name with them.

Turns out the spot has been bought by Kevin Geraghty, owner of the defunct (and still missed) Brendan's Pub. But now Brendan's will be resurrected; the bar, which is now going by the name 404, will be transformed into Brendan's next month, complete with a new menu and live music.

Here's the message Geraghty just posted on Facebook (we've left a message asking him to call us with more details).

Hello all, don't do many of these but I am starting a new project and wanted to get the word out. My partner and I just completed the purchase of the 404 on Broadway. I know that this is a beloved dive, (I used to join Jerry and friends on double decker-buses to the Broncos games in the late '70s) Well I want to rename it Brendan's Pub and was throwing it out there.

I hope to make the name transition in January and will be applying for a cabaret license. We are playing with the menu and will have a temp menu starting this Wednesday. Hope you can stop by and say hi. Will never be able to remake or relive the old Brendan's (that's probably a good thing) but I am still attached to the name. Inherited a great staff and am excited about making a go of it. All the best!

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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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