Molly Martin
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“I’m very proud of what we did here,” says Tom Messina, who opened Tom’s Starlight at 601 East Colfax Avenue last September. For two decades, he’d run the Googie-style building as Tom’s Diner, a 24/7 staple in Capitol Hill.
But by 2019, he was ready to retire and in talks with a housing developer when “a Goody Two Shoes showed up,” he told Westword last year, referring to a neighborhood petition to get historic designation for the building, which would have prevented its destruction – and also greatly reduced the amount Messina could get for the property.
Instead, in a win-win effort, Historic Denver engineered a purchase of Messina’s property by history-friendly developer GBX Group, which not only secured protective landmark designation for the building, but transformed the former diner into a swanky spot inspired by 1920s Palm Springs, complete with a sprawling outdoor space that was our 2023 Best of Denver editor’s pick for Best Restaurant Patio.
Tom Messina celebrating the opening of Tom’s Starlight with a ribbon cutting on October 13, 2022.
Molly Martin
Earlier this month, the building was honored by Historic Denver at an awards ceremony that name-checked both Messina and GBX. But by then, the restaurant – though still open – was already listed for lease, according to David, Hicks & Lampert.
Now a handwritten sign on the front door says “Closed 4 Good.” Messina confirmed the news, saying that he’s ready to get back to retirement. “It’s too good of a spot,” he says. “Someone will come in and do good by it.”
