Mayor Hancock Proclaims October 13 Tom's Starlight Day

"I'm so overwhelmed," said a visibly emotional Tom Messina at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Tom's Starlight on October 13. "I don't know how I got here, but I'm so glad I did."

Messina had just been handed a proclamation that was read by a representative from Mayor Michael Hancock's office declaring October 13 Tom's Starlight Day in Denver, a move that commemorates the culmination of a long and winding path for the fate of the futuristic Googie-style building at 601 East Colfax Avenue.

Messina took over the space, which was originally built in 1967 for a White Spot diner, in 1999, and purchased it in 2003. For twenty years, he ran it as the 24/7 Tom's Diner, which became a staple in the neighborhood for its affordable fare and dependability. According to Messina, the diner never closed during that time.

But he always saw the building as an investment that he planned to sell when he was ready for retirement. In 2019, he was in talks with a housing developer when a few members of the community launched a petition to get historic designation for the building; at the time, Messina was not on board with such a move. After running the diner for two decades, he simply wanted out, and historic designation would limit a developer's options.

But then Historic Denver got in on the act. Annie Levinsky, the organization's former executive director (she recently left to join History Colorado), spoke at the ceremony and joked about the near-daily phone calls, emails and texts she exchanged with Messina throughout the process of brokering a deal with a developer who was willing to keep the Tom's Diner building as part of a residential/retail vision that would include a restaurant.
"I hated you at the time," Messina joked when he took the microphone to address the "many people who were instrumental in making this happen."

"We love you, Tom!" someone in the crowd shouted.

Ultimately, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and Messina began planning for a remodel with the help of history-friendly developer GBX Group. Although the process was put on pause when the pandemic hit, the vision finally came to fruition on September 28, when Tom's Starlight opened to the public.

The October 13 ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by a number of notables, including legendary Denver developer Dana Crawford, city councilman Chris Hinds and Senator Chris Hansen, all of whom gathered in the new, sprawling outdoor space filled with cabanas, water features, AstroTurf and custom-made totems.

Hinds, who represents District 10, where Tom's Starlight is located, also spoke at the event. "We got more than 1,000 emails about Tom's Diner," he recalled. "We got emails from all over the U.S. and Canada. ... This was victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. There was so much tension and vitriol and passion and emotions from so many different sides about this structure in particular and what we do as a city. I want to thank GBX and the folks here who created the conversation and allowed us to preserve and celebrate where Denver has come from, while also embracing Denver today and making sure we have an even better Denver tomorrow."

"For those of you that live around here, you know that we've lost a few restaurants recently," added Hansen. "I spend a lot of time at [the Capitol] building down the street, and we have nowhere to eat. I'm very excited to be able to go straight down here to Tom's Starlight."
The swanky new space includes a large bar and plenty of seating inside, along with an outdoor bar that services the tables and cabanas on the large patio. The menu is far more upscale than that of its predecessor, with options like shrimp cocktail, penne alla vodka, a double bone-in pork chop, and salmon with vanilla beurre blanc and plantains. Cocktails include such classics as the "always on special" Tom's Collins as well as concoctions like the Green Thumb, made with cilantro tequila, green chartreuse, lime, avocado and agave syrup.

While the restaurant is currently only open for dinner, brunch will be added soon, and rumor has it that some favorites from the diner menu may make a comeback on that menu.

Tom's Starlight definitely caters to a different crowd than the diner did, but at the heart of both is Messina and his passion for creating a place where people can gather to enjoy good food and good times. While sipping a martini under the moonlight with Frank Sinatra playing is a far cry from devouring pancakes at 3 a.m., it's quite a nice way to spend an evening in downtown Denver — and far better than watching this iconic building being torn down to make way for more apartments.

Tom's Diner is located at 601 East Colfax Avenue and is open from 4 p.m. to close Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, visit tomsstarlight.com.