Giggling Grizzly's Last Call Clears Path for New Monfort Companies Project

In the end, the Giggling Grizzly got the last laugh.

In 1996, the year after Coors Field opened a block away, the sports bar opened in a formerly dilapidated building at 1320 20th Street, the circa 1910 Marcus Hotel in the Lower Downtown Historic District established just eight years earlier. For almost three decades, it accommodated a faithful crew of game-day-only baseball regulars and anytime fans.

But last night, the Grizzly issued its last call.

The structure that houses the bar was part of a November 2022, $5.8 million deal in which Monfort Companies, which had already acquired much of the adjacent block of 1900 Market Street, purchased the old hotel as well as the building that had once held El Chapultepec, a much older bar founded back in 1933, right when Prohibition ended. The big news was the El Chapultepec sale: While the legendary jazz bar had closed for good in December 2020, historians worried — loudly — about its cultural legacy being lost altogether.

Meanwhile, the Grizzly just kept serving. "We love LoDo, and we have no intentions of going anywhere soon," said Grizzly managing partner Dewey Bramson at the time.

That was then. Here's the now:

“As many of you know, some local developers bought the building that the Giggling Grizzly has been doing business in for nearly 30 years," the bar announced last month on social media. "We came out here all those years ago to expand our hospitality properties to the Rockies, but what we found was family and friends. We have had sooo many ups, and sadly, some pretty sad downs, but we have loved every minute of it. We are so grateful to all of our Managers, Team Members, Vendors, our Hospitality Family on the block and You…our Guests!!!...Although our time in LoDo is coming to an end, the memories will last a lifetime. So…our last day of business will be Sunday July 6th 2025. We will have one last 4th of July weekend with the Rockies and fireworks, and many days in between to come say Hi to all of our awesome team, and goodbye to a place that we hope has brought you many smiles, laughs, and maybe even a headache the next day:). Cheers to you all and we appreciate and love you!!”

Monfort could break ground on its 20th Street project this month. Getting to this point wasn't easy, though: After the new owner determined that the El Chapultepec building (officially 1962 Market) was too far gone to save, Historic Denver took issue with its plans to demolish it altogether — and filed for landmark designation. History and jazz fans rallied to save what could be saved. And after much discussion and a return to the drawing board, the parties came up with a win-win plan approved by the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission this spring. The sign of the former jazz club as well as its corner walls will be saved. (The El Chapultepec name now lives on at Dazzle, which has an El Chapultepec lounge and is the base of the foundation keeping those memories alive.)

Meanwhile, much of 1320 20th Street will remain intact, under a full-story rooftop deck and canopy."We felt that the overall proposal for the Giggling Grizzly and El Chapultepec site was a positive contemporary design that successfully combined the old and the new," says Historic Denver CEO John Deffenbaugh. "We were primarily focused upon El Chapultepec because the Giggling Grizzly structure is a character-contributing building in the historic district and so is protected from demolition by the landmark ordinance. As a result of the city review, much of the original fabric of that building is being retained, including the windows and ground level openings."

In announcing the initial purchase of the property at a groundbreaking for the nearby Riot House almost three years ago, Kenneth Monfort, executive vice president of Monfort Companies, offered this: "The forthcoming rehabilitation and amalgamation of El Chapultepec and the Giggling Grizzly will build upon the momentum prevalent in this neighborhood and, ideally, catalyze continued investment here. We see investment in this neighborhood as an economic imperative that will help Denver claim its spot as a top entertainment destination nationally."

We can all drink to that. Despite some sour notes along the way, the Giggling Grizzly building will continue its last, best use...as a bar...and get the last laugh.