It May Be Bardenay Time
Distillery/Restaurant Sets Sight On Old Tower Theater Spot
By Cara DeGette
Editor, GPHN
“Bardenay” is an obscure nautical term used loosely by sailors in place of the word cocktail. As in, “it’s bardenay time” – time to get happy, time to celebrate.
That is how the CEO and founder of Idaho-based Bardenay describes the origin of the name of his distilleries/restaurants, which are currently in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Eagle, Idaho. Kevin Settles and his wife hope to open their fourth establishment in Park Hill, at the long-vacant old Tower Theater space on the business block of Kearney Street, between 22nd and 23rd Avenues.
“I spent almost a year traveling around with a realtor all over the east side of the Front Range,” Settles said of his quest for a good Colorado location. “That movie theater is not an easy space to build a restaurant, but we really liked the neighborhood.”
The move comes a year after Gov. John Hickenlooper signed legislation to legalize distillery pubs in Colorado. Settles said he has signed a lease, but is still in the process of clearing multiple hurdles – including obtaining building and other permits, a distillery license, and seeking approval from the Greater Park Hill Neighborhood association as well as affected neighbors and businesses. If all goes as planned, Settles hopes to open next summer.
The proposed scope of the distillery/restaurant, however, has created a stir among nearby residents and owners of other businesses on the block. Plans currently call for seating for as many as 200, with an additional private room with space for 36. Settles says he’s well aware of the parking challenges; there is no parking lot, only street parking available. He and his team are working to identify creative solutions, Kettles, said, including ample bike parking, valet parking, and providing bus passes to employees.
Kettles says he plans to replicate the same concept as his other three distillery/restaurants. Rum, gin and vodka will be distilled in the facility, and other liquors, wine and beer will be available. The restaurant will feature a standard menu, with rotating specials.
“There will be opportunities to tour the distillery and watch the process in action, though to be honest, watching it is not that exciting – kind of like watching a faucet leak,” he said.
Response to the plan has so far been generally positive – particularly on Park Hill’s neighborhood Facebook pages and other social media. However, on Sept. 19, someone anonymously distributed fliers to residents living in the surrounding area. The fliers warned of parking congestion, and worse, should Bardenay move in. “A Good Business Idea, Bad Idea For Park Hill,” the flier read, and then listed a score of grievances:
• Don’t let this business be our new neighbor!
• NO to parking congestion on our residential streets
• NO to additional street traffic. Keep our kids, pets and selves safe while enjoying this beautiful neighborhood
• NO to compromising our family friendly neighborhood
• NO to business that will move in but not provide an additional 50-plus parking spots for their intended use
• NO to corporate business on our quaint neighborhood street
One resident posted the flier on a neighborhood Facebook page: “Super disappointed at getting this anonymous and inflammatory flyer in my door yesterday,” wrote Meg Parish. “Whatever your feelings about this new potential business – mine include wait and see – this is a pretty terrible way to go about starting a discussion. I hope we can do better.”
Her comment was followed by dozens of others echoing Parish’s sentiment, and chiming in their support for the new distillery and restaurant.
Settles concedes he too was disappointed when he saw the anonymous fliers, but was pleased by the response to it.
“We realize if we’re successful we will have an impact on the neighborhood,” Settles said. “But we’re a really good neighbor. The reality is, that building fills up the entire property. If it wasn’t us, it would be someone else bringing in a brewery or restaurant or something else.
“I expect community concerns, and I am looking forward to sitting down with people and having these conversations.”
Following the outcry, Bardenay representatives reached out to the owners of Tables restaurant, and other businesses on the block. Denon Moore, who co-owns Cake Crumbs on Kearney Street, says she is glad to see that space finally get utilized, but never expected new tenants to have such a big operation.
“I worry a little about the impact that scale of a restaurant will have on the street,” Moore said. “Parking is a large concern, as well as how they might directly impact the other food establishments on the block.
“I hope by their efforts to reach out to the neighboring businesses they come up with an idea to operate harmoniously with the others and have a creative solution for the impact on parking.
“At the end of the day I hope for the best and look forward to being a good neighbor. I am sure if Bardenay embeds themselves in the Park Hill community and finds ways to support local organizations and events they will be welcomed with open arms.”
The last tenant of the old Tower Theater space was the Korean Full Gospel Church, which moved out in early 2012. Congregants of the church mostly lived outside the area and had little interaction with the rest of Park Hill.
As detailed in the June 2, 2015 issue of the Greater Park Hill News, the Tower Theater had a rich history in the neighborhood. Author and noted Denver historian Phil Goodstein wrote, “the movie theater emphasized its high-quality color projector and white platinum screen. A Wurlitzer organ filled the auditorium with music. So infants would not disturb performances, there was a glassed room where parents could view the movies with their small children.”
In 1961, the theater was remodeled, and reopened as the Crest Theatre, with a capacity of 750. Over the years, it became increasingly dilapidated, and finally closed around 1982.