Gates Rubber Company - Demolition Diary part 1

As far as I'm concerned, the city of Denver's most important landmark was the abandoned Gates Rubber factory. Shown here from the southeast, at roughly Broadway and Mississippi Avenues, from two photographs spliced together somewhat decently.


The massive factory's first structures were built in 1910. New construction and expansion took place over much of the 20th century, until the plant's closure in 1991. Ever since the rubber production was outsourced, rumors of the complex's demolition have run rampant.

Until that one year when it finally happened.

I did a poor job of documenting many of my favorite properties in the state of Colorado, nearly the entire time I lived in the state. So I made the resolution, that as soon as I first found out the shovels were chewing red brick, that I would be there to extensively cover it's demise.

That happened in early November, 2013. 

By April 20, 2014, Gates Rubber Company was rapidly disappearing, and now looked like this...


Five months later, the corner of Broadway and Mississippi, looked like this...


The all around awesomeness of Broadway Avenue took a major hit.

When I moved to Englewood, Colorado, in October 1996, Broadway Avenue quickly became the center of my universe. Broadway was a road I drove at least 2 blocks on, almost every day for the next seven years. My apartment was 7 blocks east, just off the Hampden Avenue bypass.

Returning to Colorado in 2005, my address a year later was three blocks closer to Broadway, going the equivalent of three blocks deep, on Broadway Circle!

Broadway Avenue was what I had to drive to get anywhere. Traveling north or south, it would take you to whichever east/west crossing road you needed. Or you could take it all the way north into downtown Denver. Although it splits at I-25, so you have to take Lincoln Avenue north from that point. There's some beautiful structures on Lincoln, but it doesn't have anywhere near the amount of that sweet gritty urban decay that I love so much!

Before I get into Gates Rubber Company (without ever actually going into Gates Rubber Company), I'm feeling the need to reflect for a bit on Broadway Avenue itself. Travelling north into downtown Denver. Been almost two years now and I really miss that road.

Not discussing Broadway Avenue anywhere south of Hampden here. Despite some bright spots, it's far less interesting... And just takes you into Highlands Ranch...

And you KNOW how I feel about Highlands Ranch...

Can you possibly come up with a better start than a giant marshmallowey mushroom shaped bank?


Currently identifying itself as "Community Bank", the two story bubble opened in the late 1960's. Designed by architect Charles Deaton, it was originally known as Key Savings. Super Space Age bank was built on the site of First National Bank, after they moved a few blocks west, into the -now known as- Chase Bank Tower.

A few blocks north is the Gothic Theater.

Which was renovated into a very nice concert venue in 2000, but when I moved to Englewood, it looked like this...


Unlike Gates, I had the foresight to take a few pictures of the Gothic, in it's abandoned and questionable future state. The above picture was taken in November, 1997. At that time, the city was debating demolishing the theater, which had stood since 1929.

Originally a movie theater, it had various lives over years (including a run as an "adult" theater), and closed for stretches of time towards the end. With it's last gasp coming in the early 1990's, as a venue for live concerts, before closing in late 1993 or early 1994.

More importantly, shortly after I discovered the Gothic Theater, mere blocks from my apartment, I found out some of my favorite bands in 1996 and 1997 played at the Gothic in the early 1990's. Nirvana played there on June 10, 1991, with Dinosaur Jr. and Jesus Lizard. There's audio recordings of that show online. That's cool and all, but there's VIDEO of Nirvana playing the Gothic Theater, on September 13, 1989.


Since the Gothic was closed in 1996 when I moved to Englewood, I could only imagine seeing a concert there. As a collector of bootleg concert recordings, I really wanted to hear any audio of my favorite bands, playing -what was then- an abandoned theater, just blocks from where I live!


And the audio quality for this show is pretty good...


Kurt was also really trying! Definitely more active before success as well...

Continueing on with my Captain Honkass Abandoned Theater 1997 Dream Music Festival, I was overjoyed when I found an MP3 of Faith No More playing the Gothic Theater, on the Angel Dust tour, February 6, 1993.


Actually one of the best recordings -audio quality-wise- I've heard from a live show on this tour.

Great setlist too...

Headlining the Captain Honkass Abandoned Theater 1997 Dream Music Festival would be Mr. Bungle. (My festival would be hell on Mike Patton's vocal chords...) One of the first MP3's I ever downloaded via America Online dial up internet, was from the late, great Caca Volante web site, in late 1996. It probably took about 10 minutes...

The date of the recording was March 20, 1992. It was just a single song, a cover of Oingo Boingo's Pictures of You. The location was simply listed as Denver. So I didn't know right away that the 1992 Mr. Bungle show was actually at the Gothic Theater.

Blew my 21 year old mind!

But no one would go to a show and record just that one song...

So the entire show has to be out there, right?

About a year ago, I finally found a copy of the full March 20, 1992, Mr. Bungle Gothic Theater show. 

Available for free download on the Internet Archive!


The quality is spotty, but I don't care. I was almost as excited by finding this a year ago, as I would have been 24 years ago. Angry violent screamy circus psychotic metal music! Sometimes you need that in your life! Like a slow, jazzy cover of Nirvana's Territorial Pissings, cut into the intro for Dead Goon!

How can you not be on board with this?!?!?

Okay, this was the epitome of sidetrackedness... 


I just wish I would have picked a cloudy day in November 1997, to take those abandoned Gothic pictures...

However, it's not just that those shows were bands I loved, playing at the Gothic Theater. Those songs and artists are very iconic to those months when I was first exploring the Denver area. New to town and drinking in my new life. Which all comes back to driving up and down Broadway Avenue.

So come on! Stop wasting time!

15 blocks north of the Gothic Theater, was Flossy McGrews.


Known to most as the red brick building with all the silver skulls super-glued to the exterior. Easily one of the most memorable of all the strange stores that lined Broadway. Although they closed much faster than the open as the new millenium dawned.

 I was always going to check out Flossy McGrews, but never did. The shop closed in late 2013, and still hadn't made it in. The silver skulls scraped from the side of the building soon after. Sadly, this is the best picture I have of an open Flossy McGrews.

A block north of Flossy, used to be where you could rent a room at the Broadway Motel.


Looked kinda gross in 2014, but was reputably a nice motel in the 1950's. Like so many others, the Broadway Motel was closed and demolished in 2017. A multi-story pile of $500,000 condopartments was shoved onto it's grave. You can bet safe money on a Broadway Motel story appearing here at some point.

Speaking of Broadway stories that will definitely show up here...

A few blocks away from the doomed motel was another of my favorite Denver abandonments...


The 1940's era Sinclair Service Station!

I kept stopping by for pictures of this place throughout the years. Amazed that it still survived without purpose. After all, it was closed back in 1996 when I moved here! The above photo was taken early in the morning of January 14, 2014. The original beat up gas pumps had been removed only five years earlier. Really wish I had pictures of them. (But I wasn't thinking of doing this stuff back then... Unfortunately...) How was this property never demolished and sold?

But in 2016, the property was sold. A great deal of effort, money and time was spent turning the existing long-closed gas station into a Snarf's Sammich Shop. They did an incredible job of keeping everything that made this building awesome. For nearly a year, s\crews cleaned it up and it will also appear in a story here at some point!

Because a few blocks away is someplace that I've already written about!


The East Asia Garden (and adjacent businesses) met it's demise in 2015. 



Which went hand in hand with it's neighbor, US Bank (shown here, closed, on June 7, 2015). Which is another story I've covered here. Demolished a little bit after East Asia Garden, US Bank was my typical parking spot for Gates photography.


Unlike this drive by shot of the oldest part of the main Gates building, taken April 13, 2013. At more than a block long, it was hard to get a full shot of the 4 story Gates. (Without mentioning the assorted other buildings on the site.) Nearly impossible after construction on the apartments across the street started.

But we'll come back to Gates in a bit... 


For now, let's continue up the Broadway split, which is just beyond the RTD Light Rail and I-25 bridges. On your right are some of Gates Rubber Company's former corporate offices. Which are now leased out to other businesses. Still quite active and never part of the demolition plans.

Since we'll be driving north on Lincoln Avenue, there's nothing I want to cover here. So we'll take a left turn onto 3rd Avenue in Denver, then another left back onto Broadway. This was a route that I took often. As there were several more popular Broadway photo stops, that could only be reached by driving south on it.

And number one on that list, the Webber Theater...


And just like the Gothic Theater, some 7 or so miles south, the Webber also had a run as an adult theater. Only the Webber had a much longer run as Kitty's South. After sitting empty for a few years, including a fire that destroyed the whole interior, the building was gutted and converted into an upscale distillery.

Also a story that will be covered here at some point in the future.

As will the old KMart on Alameda Ave and Broadway. 


This photo was taken January 22, 2017. Weeks before this location was closed. It would be demolished less than a year later. 2017 was rough on the hand full of remaining KMarts in Colorado. Not only did we lose the Broadway and Alameda superstore, the ones in Aurora and Englewood closed as well. Not that 2018 or 19 did KMart any better...

These sad looks at so many places with happy memories associated, has kinda made me hungry. So it's really too bad that I can't stop for a greasy double cheeseburger with pickles, onions and ketchup, at Griff's Hamburgers.


One of the first stories I put up here, covered Griff's Hamburgers. From sometimes dinner at work, to demolished in favor of crappy overpriced Condopartments.

Which tells you a lot about the state of Broadway today. 


Exactly why I have to get back to that US Bank parking lot and start taking some pictures of Gates. 

Before it too is gone for good...

On September 28, 2003, I drove around town and took pictures of things that I wanted to remember about Englewood and Denver, with my crappy 35mm camera. I would be moving to Minnesota in a few days. But only for 19 months... Then I had to come back. I simply missed Colorado too much...


When it came to my picture of Gates, I chose the westbound view from the intersection of Broadway and Mississippi. Showing the south end of the north plant, the north side of the south plant, and the two levelled skyway between them. Too bad it's blurry and sun ruined.

But it's the only picture I have of that Gates skyway, which was torn out a couple of years before demolition started on the south plant. Mainly to keep trespassers from going between the two buildings.

That and it was horribly unsafe.

So after all of that long and meandering intro, I'm finally ready to start the first entry into the Gates Rubber Company Demolition Diary.

February 9, 2008.

On our way to an event in the northern part of Denver, my ex-girlfriend and I stop at the US Bank on Broadway and Mississippi, to get some cash out of the ATM. Back then, I didn't usually keep a camera on me, but on this day, I did. This US Bank used to have an ATM in a locked room, just off the sidewalk facing Broadway. After grabbing my money and receipt, I walked out the door and snapped this picture of Gates Rubber Company, across the street.


In the fall of 2007, demolition started on the south plant of the Gates complex. Over the next few months, the building that was almost large as the older parts of the Gates factory across Mississippi, was torn down and recycled on site. I watched it disappear as I drove by, but never took any pictures along my way.

A few years ago, I did find this excellent shot of the demolition, from the Googles.


That bus stop shelter will provide some context to the pictures I did take.


Which is in the far right side of this picture. Shovels are working on removing the crushed concrete pieces that were once a rubber factory. They would fill non stop convoys of trucks that would then buzz a few blocks up Broadway to I-25. The process for getting rid of Gates was pretty smooth once it all started.


Tools of Gates destruction... And the Rocky Mountains!

I miss the Rocky Mountains...


The bus shelter and the remains of Gates red brick lined yard pack. I'm sure this was once part of a landscaping theme that ran along Broadway between both factories. After that many years of minimal upkeep, it didn't look like anything other than short random walls. The tent in the back suggests something astesbussy going on.


Some more of that red brick and homeless people discards, at the southwest corner of Broadway and Mississippi. 

Nothing left of the building though. I was too late for any of that. 


I would not make that same mistake to the north.

Once I got the pictures of whatever was left of the south property,
I walked across Mississippi to take a better look at this sign in front of the remaining Gates.


In 2008, the remaining properties belonging to Gates (north of Mississippi), were under contract to Cherokee Denver. A redevelopment firm with a plan to redo the entire Gates complex, that would make the land very valuable to investors! Their ambitious project was to build a miniature city, running from Mississippi to I-25, and Logan to Santa Fe. To me, it looked like way too much crammed into far too little, but I'm sure it would maximize profits!

Thanks to the 2008 recession, Cherokee Denver never started the project and the land went back to Gates a couple years later. Gates then worked with the city of Denver to finally remove the remaining factory buildings from the Broadway landscape.

Oh, and you can get help if you find yourself single...

I quickly walked around the area for these pictures, then got back into my car. Our planned route was west on Mississippi, then north on Santa Fe Drive to I-25. While I knew the south factory of Gates had recently been demolished, I didn't realize the other structures on Gates' property, between the railroad tracks and Santa Fe were also being removed. I was able to snap these pictures while waiting in the slow moving lane to the northbound freeway entrance ramp.


I don't know what any of the buildings back here were used for, back when Gates was still using them. Satellite photos show large areas of broken cement floors and evidence of more buildings that are long gone. Speaking of gone, note the water tower on the left side of the photo. It had been earlier determined by Gates and the city that the water tower would be saved from demolition. Then in some way incorporated into the landscape of the new development.

The tower was removed from the roof before I took the next set of pictures. It sat on the ground behind the factory during demolition, and likely still to this day.

However, it has been sawed in half...


Oh, a better shot of the water tower. And some leftovers from a demolished building. Apparently Waldo! was using it after Gates was finished with it.


Many more pieces of foundations with I-25 and the light rail tracks on the horizon.

Even after Gates re-took control over the property, there was still a possibility with the factory being designated as a historic landmark. By 2012, momentum for demolition was gearing up, then ground to a halt when another motion for a public hearing on landmark status was filed. A college student tried to save the structures for re-purposing, instead of removal, acquired enough petition signatures and enough money to pay the court fee. That process -while ultimately thrown out- delayed the inevitable demolition by another year.


This overhead map also serves as a good reference point for the photos I took. 

Starting in 2013, I was taking my camera with me on a regular basis. Just so I could snap pictures of things I liked, as I was driving around town.


For example, on March 16, 2013, I needed a picture of the Breakfast King sign at Santa Fe and Mississippi, with a water towerless Gates behind it!


And a month later, while standing in the parking lot of the Breakfast King. 

Note the water tower in sitting on the ground, directly south of building 11. 

(Go look at the overhead map!)


Back to March 16, 2013... Where I find myself looking up at the sealed off missing two story Gates skyway, from the middle of Mississippi Avenue. But let's continue over Broadway, and back to the US Bank parking lot.

Where it's suddenly February 8, 2008 again!


And directly across the street is where the old Gates medical clinic once was. Where this pile of dirt is in 2008, is where a parking ramp would be five years later. I wrote about the Gates medical clinic in the US Bank story last year, so I'm not going to cover it again here.

And thank you crappy 35mm camera for ruining what would have been nice pictures of it's demolition, in the fall of 2005.


Further down Mississippi is where Gates Credit Union used to be.



But I actually have a picture of Gates Credit Union! Though it was called New Horizons Credit Union on September 28, 2003. Thank you sun for ruining my picture of it that day.


The former parking lot for Gates Credit Union, with a bunch of tall weeds growing out of it. And there's that parking ramp I was talking about a paragraphs below.


The former entrance to the parking lot for Gates Credit Union. I really like this picture. The last two pictures were taken August 18, 2013, a date we will be rejoining soon. A large pile of Condopartments live here now.


Throughout 2013, the demolition of Gates was inevitable. I just didn't know when it would start. So in order to complete my goal of photographing it, I had to make random welfare checks on Gates to make sure it wasn't started without me. On April 13, 2013, I made a quick loop around Mississippi to Tennessee Avenues, and snapped this shot of the oldest part of the Gates factory, while waiting for my left turn on Broadway green light.


Construction on the Condopartments at Broadway and Tennessee had recently started. They would likely be just as ugly, if not uglier, than the new ones built at the southwest corner of Broadway and Mississippi. Seen in the center of this picture.

But the more important date is...

August 18, 2013. 


That was the last time I parked at the now famous US Bank, and walked around the Gates area for pictures, before the demolition started. On this early morning, I wanted to document the four corners of the Broadway and Mississippi intersection, US Bank first, on the southeast corner, and then be on my merry way to wherever...


To the northeast, the wood is really going up on the future 1000 Broadway South Condopartments.


While the sun rises on Gates to the northwest.


Once home to the south Gates factory, the southwest corner is now home to the ugly ass Broadway Station Condopartments... By Windsor!

Then I got in my car and headed off to the north to wherever it was that I was going that day.


Taking this shot after going through the stoplights.


And this one of the entrance to the newer offices extending from the factory, out to Broadway.


And the last one at Tennessee Avenue.

Then a few hours later, once the sun had fully risen, I'd looped back on my way home.


On Broadway.

I'd made the plan of photographing the entire Gates demolition, week by week from as soon as I found out it started, until it was finished. I ended up with several thousand photos of Gates and the immediate area, over the course of the next year. Gathering that material would be the foundation of my most ambitious project yet...

But what would I do with all of it?


My original plan was an epic issue of Wasted Quarter. A book that would rival Abandoned Englewood in size. But the problem with Abandoned Englewood is that it commited a great disservice to the pictures, given the limits on the number of pages and space on them. Any Gates project would be very picture dependent, so an issue of Wasted Quarter wouldn't work at all for this.

But Four Baggers would suit it perfectly!

And this is part one.

My introduction to the massive Gates Rubber Company demolition photo project! And why that massive structure was so damn important to me over the last near 25 years.

Part 2 will follow at some point in the near future, and start the sad slideshow that was the Gates removal from Broadway. Just like so many of the other falling iconic buildings, that drew such a strong connection to me and my time living there.

Parts 3 through Whatever, will follow at an even further point.

There's simply so many photographs that it's going to take a while to cover it the way I want to.

Coming soon...

The walls come crumbling down!

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