Capitol Cigars Extinguished by Colfax Construction

"We've had close to an 80 percent dropoff since October," says owner Cornelius Wayne Wright, who's closing his place today.

By Cynthia Barnes

April 26, 2025

Last call at Capitol Cigars. Cynthia Barnes

Audio By Carbonatix

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There are now only three businesses in the City and County of Denver where you can get both a drink and a smoke: Capitol Cigars just lit up its last stogie and shook its last martini.

Capitol Cigars survived the pandemic, rule changes regarding indoor smoking and major damage during the 2020 demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd, but the spot at 919 East Colfax Avenue couldn't fight off the Bus Rapid Transit construction project that's ripped up the street and taken away all the parking. "We've had close to an 80 percent dropoff since October," says owner Cornelius Wayne Wright. "And our demographic — they don't take Lyft. They'd never take a bus. And they are not going to walk from blocks away down this stretch of Colfax."

Wright has personally chauffeured older clients from parking spots three or four streets away, but that hasn't been enough. So after last-call tonight, he'll turn off the lights of his cozy lounge filled with old leather chairs and a walk-in humidor, and lock the door for good.

After that, Wright says he'll talk with an attorney and begin the process to petition for an exemption that would allow his grandfathered, on-premises tobacco/liquor/food license to be transferred to a new, non-Colfax location.

In the meantime, smoke 'em while you got 'em. Your only legal options to enjoy both a drink and a cigar within Denver city limits are Churchill Bar in the Brown Palace, Palma Cigars and Bar Las Palmas on Larimer Street, and Devon's Pub on East Hampden.

This story has been updated to include Devon's Pub and note that Capitol Cigars is now closed.

Cynthia Barnes has been a freelance writer with Westword since November 2019. She kicked around the world for a while before landing in Colorado. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, AAA, the Boston Globe, National Geographic, and 5280, to name a few. She loves dives — both scuba and bars — baseball, the Oxford comma, and live music.

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