2018 vs Now - Denver, CO - Deno's 6 & 85, I-70 Viaduct and More!
Quickly figuring out that I’m just replicating the street view history feature on the Googles.
Now with context!
As for this time period, Laura and I were a month away from moving to Minnesota. Life was a mess of packing and stressing out over the future. So I needed to get away from the apartment from time to time. The plan for this Sunday morning was to look around north of Denver. Never had a reason to go up here, so I was unfamiliar with what was even here. My plan was to just drive around and look for stuff to take pictures of. With the eventual goal of writing about them.
Holy crap! I need to figure out how to get closer to that awesome abandoned diner!!
Sunday, April 29, 2018.
Woke up early this morning, showered and left for supplies at the Tufts Avenue 7Eleven. I woke up just as the sun was rising, so I’ll apologize in advance for some of the poorer quality ones. Between low light, sun glare and crappy camera, some of these photos are less than optimal.
In the case of places I’m familiar with, I have whatever memories I have from Denver, between 1996 and 2018. To follow up on the pictures I took, I’ve dialed up the Googles to see what they have from the same vantage point I took these pictures. So it’s kind of a somberly fun to look at what has changed since I was last there.
The first leg of my mission goes north on Broadway, then to Colfax Avenue, and east to the site of the long closed Firehouse Car Wash. I’m not covering everything I took pictures of, just stuff that stood out on this day.
Construction progress on the new apartments going up, where the old Broadway Motel had been torn down almost exactly one year ago today. (2018, not 2025.)
Snarfs Sandwiches spent the greater part of a year converting a 1940’s era Sinclair gas station, into a trendy sandwich shop. This is a story planned for the future. I took hundreds of photos of the entire process in converting a long abandoned Sinclair, into the house of tasty (and expensive) big ass sammiches. Their French Dip on Garlic Toast was a masterpiece.
Last week while I was out taking pictures, I found that front part of the Fire House Car Wash had seemingly been knocked over. Nothing was really hauled away. Just a pile of cinder blocks where a cinder block building part stood. Some of which were moved to anchor the permanently temporary security fence, with stacks of colorfully painted bricks. Which looked kind of cool. In February, 2018, I was up here taking pictures of the murals that covered every surface of the former car wash building. I was so excited by the pictures I took, they were turned into a story a few days later.
Firehouse Car Wash, November, 2024.
I can’t believe that nothing has yet been built on top of the Firehouse Car Wash land. The far back walls are still standing. Still covered in the same murals that have been here for more than a decade.
Instead of continuing to drive east, towards Aurora, I turned back around towards Broadway. That was the road I was taking to north Denver. But another building (cluster) of interest was just two blocks west of the abandoned car wash.
The closed up Bourbon Grill sits front and center, with some other retail along the line. But the buildings of interest are the two mansions attached to the aging in-line retail. The additions to the front of these massive old houses are only about 80 years old. The houses behind them date back to the 1890’s.
The Family Cigarette Grocery Store is a really oddly placed set of words.
Family Cigarettes is a funny concept. Goes well with Hushed Vapors…
The vacant shop on the end has been many things over the years, but I don’t think I’ve seen it open after around 2005. There was a series of Mexican restaurants in a small shop around the corner, that had a different name every time I drove by.
A year after I took these pictures, Family Cigarettes and Hush Vapors had closed. With all the stores closed, the windows and doors were all covered with plywood. The property owner of the two mansions and the shuttered stores, wants to demolish the entire block, in order to build an 8 story apartment building, with retail on the sidewalk. That was the plan as of August 2018.
The problem with all this is the city of Denver wants these buildings preserved for historic reasons. (I do too…) This story, from denverite.com, summarizes the owner vs city battle over the future of this property. As it stood in August 2018. There are some great photos inside the two mansions, when the owner took a group from the city, inside for a tour. He argued the buildings are in too poor of condition, for them to be restored in a manner that would be cost effective.
To prove his point, the owner of this property is doing absolutely nothing to maintain the buildings.
May 2025 Googlesmobile drive by shows just how bad the condition of his mansions has gotten. Windows are now completely missing, allowing the weather to destroy whatever is left of the interior. A fire burned a hole in the roof of the building on the right, which has been left wide open for over a year. So if his goal is to demolish the mansions because they would cost too much to restore, leaving gaping holes in them for years at a time, is only driving up the cost. His self-fulfilling prophecy is stupid, selfish and should be criminal.
Unrelated, but possibly related, to this project is the old Burger King next door. The King closed on Colfax in 2020. That could be a key addition to the future development of what takes place on this block. I’m certain the old Burger King won’t be designated for historic value. Although, it is a building that still looks like a Burger King, so that’s an anomaly…
A few more blocks west is Rosenstock Place. When I was in my 20’s, I always thought it would be cool to have an apartment in one of these buildings. Third floor, overlooking the busy street and sidewalk below. Rosenstock Place often inspired those daydreams. Red brick painted white made the building stand out, accentuating the slightly less plain facade. One of my favorite non-abandoned buildings on Colfax.
Right turn onto Lincoln Street north, with the RTD Civic Center Station in front of The Denver Post building. Now more general office and less newspaper. Yeah well… The Rocky Mountain News was far superior!
Parts of the Atrium Campus, crossing Lincoln and 17th. An interesting piece of office building architecture, from 1983. Basically a high concept office building, blended with hip modern amenities and buzzwords. Great, if that’s your thing….
My typical experiences with downtown Denver doesn’t extend a whole lot further north than Colfax. Other than visiting Coors Field. I wrote down some notes on today’s photos in my notebook, a couple weeks after the fact. At this point in the drive, I noted: “As I wound back to northbound Broadway, immediately started thinking this should be written out as a full story. But I don’t have time for that, so this trip was given selective highlights for a more specific blog post. There are a bunch of great abandoned buildings with tagging and murals that made me want to write about further. But all that will have to wait for now.”
That was in reference to the few of today’s photos, included in the story Happy May, on May 3, 2018. What you’re reading here would be the story I was referring to in the notebook, written on May 14, 2018. I know that matters to you who are jotting down my timeline.
Carson Press’s old building (2019 Stout Street) dates back to 1933. The building was gutted years ago, and is just a brick shell. Previously owned by a church, they were unable to raise the nearly $5 million needed to make it a functional church. So the building went back on the market, and was sold in August 2025, for just under $1 million. The new owner has plans to renovate the building into a nightclub, with a price tag of that same $5 million. That was a sticking point for the church, but not a bridge too far for those looking to profit off the alcohol lovin’ scene.
Hopefully they are able to save the building, no matter what they end up doing with it.
Kind of a sad statement about our nation, when there isn’t $5 million to help those who most need it. But there’s always enough money to build yet another privileged playground for pretty 20 somethings to get drunk and date rape. His church idea would have made more of a difference to the community than a freaking nightclub ever could. But that’s where we are as a society.
The road work going on in the photo was to close off 21st Ave, so it no longer connected to Broadway. Beyond that is the Bar Bar (or Carioca Cafe). It’s been closed since June 2024, after an arson suspected fire damaged the building. The owner had been trying to re-open the bar, when in June 2025, a large portion of the exterior brick wall collapsed into the the parking lot next door. Leaving a huge hole in the side of the 130 year old building. It was announced in September, that Bar Bar’s building had been condemned, and will be demolished.
Well, that’s a sad ending…
Soneffs has moved about a block west, but are still in business. Their old building (which still has their old signage) is the home of Denver Dream Center. A non-profit organization, helping homeless people rebuild their lives. Which is cool they are able to do some good work, out of an old historic building.
The Denver “Love This City” mural has been painted on this wall since 2017. It even has it’s own Googles page!
Passing under the Coors Field Pedestrian Bridge, roughly where Broadway evolves into Brighton Blvd. Which in April 2018, is under all sorts of construction, as the barrels would imply. I’d been following this motorcycle since Champa Street, so we’ll see where he’s going!
I’m still with him as we approach 33rd and Brighton… The building ahead, with the misaligned floors, is the Source Hotel. With the Greenbox Self Storage building in front of it. As I drove through downtown on my way up there, I noticed just how much of the old was being replaced with the new. It was really disappointing to see that part town being wiped clean and rebuilt different. Looking at this area today, it’s all built up new. With all sorts of buildings that all look the same. With the exception of the poorly stacked stories of The Source Hotel.
From the looks of Whole Meds, I really wasn’t expecting them to still be around today…
Less than 7 months later, the road construction wrapped up and Whole Meds stayed open. Now it was a brightly painted dispensary! Much better than that dingy, aged, off-white, auto garage looking structure.
You know, I don’t think I’ve been on Brighton Blvd. since 2014. And that was only north of I-70…
March 23, 2014. Laura and I were out driving, and we ended up wandering around Riverside Cemetery. Looking at gravestones dating back over 150 years, seemed like something we should do. As I was writing this, I learned the entrance to Riverside has been closed and relocated to the northeast corner of the property, on York Street. Before that, you crossed a set of railroad tracks to enter Riverside. Now the RTD Light Rail extends up Brighton Blvd., to end the line at the cemetery. (Which is somewhat appropriate.) In order to accommodate, the railroad crossing was closed off.
Some beautiful Mausoleums out there.
On our way out, we tried to stop at the Sinclair, on the corner of Brighton and York. Looked like the place was open, but the doors were locked and no one was inside. All of the lights were on, so I figured the cashier was in back taking a dump or something. So we opted to go somewhere else.
Really wish the May 2024 Googlesmobile drive by wasn’t so over-exposed.
That level of urban decay on a gas station needs to be appreciated!
Sinclair in 2024. Now named the rather cold “U-Fill-It”. Personally, if we are going with subtle innuendo, I would have named the station “U-Pump-It”. Borderline PG, but still passable. If you pump it right, you’ll have a good stream. (And one person laughs…)
I didn’t take Brighton Blvd that far north, on April 29, 2018. U-Fill-It Sinclair may or may not have been open then. It was still open in June 2017, but closed up by November 2018. Looks like it never reopened after closing. Now it looks incapable of reopening.
On April 29, 2018, I grew bored with following the motorcycle. Not having anything specific in mind, I turned off Brighton Blvd. at 38th, to see where that took me. I was now going to drive around until I found stuff worthy of taking pictures.
I’m not exactly sure where I took this photo. I can’t find anything similar on the Googles. When it was first saved, I labelled it “General Welding Supply - Demolished - Walnut & Blake”, via help from the Googles. Except I wasn’t right… Wherever it was, it wasn’t far from Walnut & Blake.
General Welding Supply was still standing in November 2020. It was nicely tagged up, after closing in 2017.
Weaving on whatever path I took from there, I ended up on High Street.
Isn’t that always the case…
Amongst many vacant old houses and light industrial businesses, I found the boarded up High Street Bar. Wondered if this was on the list of buildings to be saved, when there were clearly buildings nearby that are about to be torn down. Positive sign coming that the light near the roof is still on. So not only does the building still have power, the exterior lights are on. The neighborhood around it was very run down and desolate. There was no one outside, no traffic, no children, no commercial activity. Absolutely regret not taking more pictures. Wasn’t planning ahead and was kind of overwhelmed by the vast stretch of urban decay.
According to the Googles, the High Street Bar closed in 2016(?). The building was sold in May 2018 (a month after I took these pictures), but it needs major renovations. The owner stated there was a planned re-opening in 2024, but that didn’t happen.
High Street Bar in 2024
This entire neighborhood got a drastic makeover in 2019. 39th Avenue, and all of the buildings lining it, were demolished. In their place was a new recessed greenway. The High Street Bar was the only building along 39th Avenue to be spared. Hopefully they can get the bar back up and running. Now sitting along a bike and walking trail, this could be a nice little money-maker.
Directly across the street from the High Street Bar, was this doomed apartment building. From the looks of it, and knowing what happened to this area, I doubt it had months left at this point.
Looking a lot happier, and a little pink, back in August 2014.
This Googlesmobile shot is looking west down the now absent 39th Avenue.
Changing the view to “most recent date” give you this shocking change…
From the exact same point this photo was taken, May 2024.
Moving on from High, I found myself at 38th and York. Home to the former Rodines Auto garage. Which briefly became the York Street Crossfit Gym. Which was demolished (along with several other buildings on the block) before the Summer 2019.
The land was used to build a new US Department of Veteran Affairs Inner City Health Center. Which I’m sure is seeing massive budget cuts for being located in a blue state, with Project 2025 now dictating how this nation’s veterans, disabled and poor will be treated. As well as all of the rest of us not in their club. No money for you losers and suckers! Dear Leader needs a bigger tax break!
Approaching 37th Ave, driving south on York, I see a full block of boarded up structures on my right. I decided to circle the block and see what I could see. Every one of them is now boarded up and sealed shut, no sign of human life around, but it was still somewhat scary to linger in this area. Driving around the block, I could see they appeared to be in the shape of two X’s, with an alley crossing the middle. Hard to describe without an aerial view.
And it took forever to find one!
Finally found an apartment search website, that hadn’t updated their information. But the he this overhead shot I needed. Googles was no help as their satellite view has already erased it. (Is there any way to view the satellite images from years past? Or any they just gone forever?) Also do not know why a segment is separated by the dashed red line.
Had to upgrade my typical half-assed research to two-thirds-assed to find anything useful about this place.
It was built in 1944.
It was demolished in January 2019.
Everything in between those years was pieced together from what I could find on the Googles, and pure speculation.
Most of the searches I tried just brought up the York Street Yards, located a block east of here. The Yards are a restored set of four large, single level buildings, now used as a business park. They were built in 1942, becoming the Denver Military Medical Headquarters. So it’s entirely possible, these oddly shaped clusters of tiny homes were used in conjunction with the nearby military hospital.
There’s only a total of 16 units on this block. Which seems like a tremendous waste of space, when this total could easily be doubled, without decreasing the size of each unit. Unless there was a purpose to all of the open spaces, back when/if this was tied to the military. Googles did not return anything linking the two, so that is pure speculation on my part.
Corner of 38th and Gaylord. You can tell by the extremely bent up road sign. Here and there, you’d find some windows or doors with their plywood coverings ripped open. Tempting to park and walk around for some interior pictures…
A few residents were actually living here, as late as October 2017. Googlesmobile drive bys up until that date show scattered cars, lawn furniture and children’s toys can be seen in a couple of places. Still among many boarded up units around their attempt at a happy home. Dating back to the first drive by in 2007, at least 10 of the 16 units were sealed up and overgrown. Have to imagine those units had been condemned, with the rest of them just barely squeaking passed.
Of course there was the crime issue around this property, cited as being very high, in everything I did find. I didn’t see anything while I drove around here (and that’s a good thing), but you can tell they have to keep a constant eye out for tagging. Giving up on trying to color match, a long time ago.
Alley crossing the X’s. Looking back, I regret not driving down the alley. I could have taken some interesting pictures through there. That being said, I distinctly remember at the time, feeling like I needed to move on. I saw nothing sketchy and no humans at all, but the area just didn’t feel right, so I continued north on York.
This entire block was mercy killed and flattened in January 2019.
Construction on new complex of apartments and townhomes began in 2020.
I really like the red brick houses.
Roughly a year later, the block was reborn as the Clara Brown Commons, a housing project for low income families, run through Mile High Ministries. Clara Brown (1800-1885) was a former slave who helped former slaves settle, during the Colorado Gold Rush, from 1858-1961.
One block north of the Clara Brown Commons, is the Denver Coca-Cola Distribution Center. This part of the building, facing York, is the only interesting part of it. So I don’t need anything more. They’re still distributing Coke, so it’s not even abandoned.
Continuing north on York, I found this tiny dilapidated metal shed on the side of the road. Research told me this was A&A auto, and that it had been demolished by November 2018.
That same spot in July 2024. The 39th Avenue Greenway now crosses here, which you saw part of back at the High Street Bar. In 2018, there was a large lot filled with rental forklifts and other heavy equipment, on my left. Now it resembles a large ditch with sidewalk, recessed about 10-15 feet below street level. The entire Greenway project was a massive undertaking, but it really improved the entire area.
From here, I was on my way to another area that needed improving.
That improvement was coming and would be drastic.
I found this abandoned Metro PCS store, at the corner of Josephine and Steavenson. Behind it and to the left, is an abandoned convenience store. Not sure what the Husky sign is for.
Here’s the Metro PCS shack and convenience store, still open in November 2017. They would soon close, as these properties are in imminent danger. Interstate 70, running east/west, north of Denver, is about to get a major overhaul. And this land is needed for it. Unfortunately, none of my pictures of the I-70 Viaduct really turned out, so I’m thankful to the Googles for the road under the freeway. That’s the type of shot I wanted. Poor lighting… Poor camera…
To illustrate just how drastic a change I-70 was getting, here’s the Googlesmobile shot from this exact same position, in July, 2025…
The freeway has now sunk below ground level, instead of hovering above it. The Josephine Avenue (which did not change elevation) bridge is above us. Needless to say, you ain’t buying a new cell phone here, anymore.
And if you are familiar with driving I-70, you can smell this picture… The I-70 Viaduct crosses in front of this shot from York Street.
Roughly the same spot in 2024. Viaduct gone, I-70 running underneath this picture.
Here’s the front of that closed convenience store, with the Metro PCS shack now behind it. Still on York Street.
Here’s the front of that open convenience store, in July 2017. Just felt like I had to include this because that mid-1990’s Doritos truck. Seriously, that is the 1990’s Doritos logo…This was 2017. How is that truck still running?
Same spot, May 2024.
From this point on York Street (in April, 2018), I ended up going back south. I was seeing a bunch of cool stuff, but I’d stopped taking pictures for whatever reason. I ended up back on Josephine St, going north, and something caught my eye. I missed it for pictures, but I had to circle the block and go back…
Leading off with a railroad crossing in front of a cool old building, with a painted sign that I had to give up on trying to read.
THIS!
Actually stopped the car and got out, reached over the fence for this picture. So sad that a house with that nice of brick work has deteriorated to this extent. Judging from the exterior, I’m sure it’s filled with garbage, and a likely collapsed roof. But man would I have loved to see more of this place.
My second shot, looking left from the house, with what would appear to be another weird elevated abandoned house with attached garage, raised up 12 feet off the ground. Not sure what’s going on there…
This is what caught my eye when I drove past, had it been October, 2017. When I came through in 2018, the brick house wasn’t blocked by trees. All the leaves had fallen. Were they still on the trees, I wouldn’t have seen enough of it to realize I should stop.
Googlesmobile drive by in November, 2019. The old brick house has been demolished and the trees have been cut down. That weird elevated abandoned house can clearly be seen now. Still have no idea what’s going on there…
Checking back in May 2024. That weird elevated abandoned house has burned down (up). It’s still elevated, but now it’s elevated ashen rubble.
What exactly is going on here?
Weaving around the residential area, just south of the I-70 Viaduct. Another abandoned building on the right.
Jerry’s Round The Corner Food Store, at corner of 43rd and Clayton Street. It’s closed now, but was family run for over 50 years, at this location. One of those great locally owned businesses that survive and serve the community they’ve helped build. Fewer and far between these days, they just can’t compete.
Followed 43rd Avenue east until the road turned to the north, and changed its name to Madison street.
And I was certain this metal shed across from Mile High Mobile Storage, had to have been removed since 2018. But no… It’s still there. Looking even worse than this.
The strange looking Manna Pro building is still here and still selling dog food.
From here I drove east under the I-70 Viaduct for a few blocks. I was planning on moving my exploration to the semi-desolate area just north of I-70, so I was heading that direction. Before something caught my eye and I doubled back.
And damat! The picture absolutely didn’t turn out!
Really wanted a good picture of the railroad crossing sign and lights, hanging off the undercarriage of I-70. Well I don’t care, I’m using it anyways. This crossing is at roughly 46th and Monroe St.
Circling back to shoot a picture of the northbound railroad tracks.
Almost the same spot, April 2025. The railroad tracks that didn’t look very active, now cross over I-70, instead of under.
Before we moved at the end of May 2018, there were rumblings about the major reconstruction of I-70. But that was taking place after we left, so I didn’t pay too much attention. It hadn’t occurred to me that the freeway would end up dropping some 25 feet, through this part of town. Making this few mile stretch of Denver look completely different. Even more of a change than the first time the freeway cut through town. The change to the area is pretty amazing.
Makes me wish I took more and better pictures of the old I-70 area.
In the area just north of the I-70 Viaduct, there were crumbling nameless vacant buildings and scraped foundations, along streets that would soon no longer exist. I tried looking for this building on the Googles, but it’s gone. The intersection I’m driving through is also long gone. Which is weird to me.
According to the Googles, the last business to operate under the Arkansas Valley Seeds sign was a forklift dealer. That was already a few years back in Googles Map terms.
Here’s the place in September, 2011, when Arkansas Valley Seeds was still open. But the building looking all boarded up and abandoned was pretty sweet. And likely endangered. The next three blocks behind it were all vacant lots with large building holes, filled into cracked parking lots.
June 2024, Arkansas Valley Seeds is now part of East Steavenson Place.
The long building on the right side of the picture is part of the Romantic Corporate Offices, former neighbor to Arkansas.
My April 2018 photo of the Romantix Corporate Offices. A little chunk of Arkansas Valley Seeds can be seen at the far left. Romantix still keeps their Corporate operations at this address. I knew of their Denver area stores, but was surprised to find out they have more than 70 locations spread across the country. Ranging from relatively tame DVD and dildo shops, to more daring franchises with jerk-it booths and full on theaters. A large number of them are in the Midwest (a shocking amount in Iowa), but none in Minnesota.
There’s the Romantix on Colfax, which I’ve never visited.
And the Romantix on Mississippi, which I’ve been to a few times.
There are no Romantix stores Colorado Blvd., which I’ve noticed the road I’m on has suddenly turned into. (More accurately, the Colorado Blvd. Service Road.) Didn’t think I was that far east. Colorado Blvd. does have a Fascinations store, but those are higher class adult boutiques. You can tell because they didn’t go out of their way to include the letter X in their name. Romantix is more porn shop than adult boutique. It’s the X.
But what about Santa Fe Books?
Well, for years they added superfluous X’s to the sign and building itself. There was no question what “books” meant.
Danielle Steel is not here, Riley Steele is.
Continuing north on (sort of) Colorado Blvd., I found this rather unremarkable abandoned bank.
Now it’s another Marijuana Dispensary!
Rumor has it Minnesota legalized recreational, a few years ago. Yeah well, you’d never know it living here… Colorado has more Marijuana Dispensaries than Starbucks. Minnesota has less Marijuana Dispensaries than we have tropical beachfront property. Get your act together, Minnesota. You’re depriving yourself precious tax revenue, which we need more now than ever (thanks to Dictator Blundercunt), over this petty bickering about what rules you want to make up and follow.
Damat! The Flying Beds store is closed.
It’s a Beauty Supply retailer today. After not seeing any Flying Beds, I left the Colorado Blvd. Service Road and took 48th Avenue to Vazquez. Hadn’t yet seen anything interesting north of here.
Suddenly I see Deno's 6 & 85 to my left, across the divided highway. Now I had to figure out how to get to it… Unfortunately, Vazquez had very few places for a U-turn. I had to drive quite a bit north, crossing under 270, before finding a shopping center detour to get back to Finding Deno’s.
An ex Del Taco, in the shopping center parking lot, has been converted into a Taco Star. They weren’t successful, and had closed by November 2018, according to the Googles. It has since been converted into a Starbucks. Because of course it was.
Read that Del Taco has now closed all but 4 of their Colorado locations. Including the Englewood store (“My Kitchen”), just blocks from the Third Floor Dungeon. That really sucks, and I’m still craving a Del Beef Burrito.
Returning south on Vazquez, I missed what would have been the turn off I needed to take. But I still wanted to get a few pictures in this area, before going back around to access the Colorado Blvd. Service Road, off 56th Avenue. So I turned off on the Service Road, running parallel to Vazquez . Which I thought at first would take me up to Deno’s, but it dead ended far short of there. So I snapped a couple pictures on my way back to Vazquez.
Looking north, up the railroad tracks crossing 53rd and Vazquez.
Just beyond the tracks is the Triple A Motel. Online reviews for said place are exactly what you’d expect them to be.
Now I’m turning back onto northbound Vazquez. I’ve driven around enough, and finally learned the needed route to Deno's 6 & 85...
I figured out that I needed to turn on to the access road, where the semi trucks are coming out of the Phillips Petroleum tanker filling station. Turn left, instead of right, swerve around the temporary barricades, then drive over the choppy and missing pavement up the hill to Deno’s. Navigating around the large holes in what used to be a road, was rather difficult. At least the pavement was fairly intact in front of the former diner.
Satellite view of the Deno’s lot, which at one time included a gas station next door. Pieces of foundation and pump islands can still be seen. Years of heavy trucks beating up the asphalt to reach Deno’s, had destroyed the access road. And since Deno’s was the only thing on the road still open (until it wasn’t), it was very low priority for the city to maintain it. Kind of wonder if some of the damage to the exhaust system of my car, didn’t come from trying to drive up to Deno’s this morning.
According to their website, Deno's billed itself as the oldest Truck Stop in Colorado, opening in 1947. While doing research on the place, I found that according to Google Maps, it was still open in 2011. They also billed their restaurant as having ample truck and RV parking, available for overnight stays. The satellite view backs that claim. The last Yelp review for Deno's was May 23, 2017. July 2017, saw the last customer uploaded interior photo on Googles…
According to CurbsideClassic.com, Deno's 6 & 85 closed for good in September, 2017. Rumors I’ve seen in multiple places, hint the roof was failing. The owner of Deno's 6 & 85, decided to close the restaurant, rather than repair the roof. There were likely other problem aspects of the aging diner, that couldn’t be fixed due to expense.
Curbside Classic had a link to this photo of Deno’s bar, which was on Deno’s website, denos6and85.com. Their website was still active in 2018, and featured a full menu and a few other historical nuggets. Including a calendar of upcoming live bookings. Sadly, there were no entertainment events coming up at Deno's for the near future... I wish I’d downloaded those pictures that were online back in 2018, since their site is long gone today.
A chain link fence has been placed around the Deno’s property. With the high visibility on all sides in this area, I didn't want to hop a fence for window shots. (By saying I didn't want to do that, I mean that I REALLY wanted to do that…) Deno’s has some degree of historical significance, so you want to do whatever’s realistic to protect it. Not sure what you’d do with it, but you don’t want to see it just get destroyed by who and whatever wants to be a dick.
2016 interior shot of Deno’s booths inside the front window area facing Vazquez. Photo by Mark Schotten, via the Googles.
I really hope sites like the Googles and the Yelps of the internet, don’t decide to purge their pages of businesses that are no longer open. These reviews and photos give places that are no longer around, an almost eerie human presence.
Seven months after Deno’s closed… This is the best it will ever look again. The oldest Truck Stop in Colorado will soon deteriorate into sadness. The windows will likely be smashed open and then boarded up. Everything that was left behind will be stolen or destroyed. Harsh Colorado weather will play hell on the exterior, exploiting whatever weaknesses are already there. If the roof was failing when it closed, how long before it collapses into the kitchen?
I’ll be leaving Colorado soon and will likely never see Deno’s again, other than dropping by online.
To see it deteriorate…
This May 2024, Googlesmobile drive by really bummed me out. Looks so sad with the windows all covered up, and that classic Deno’s 6 & 85 sign, with a stupid URDE painted on it.
Then I clicked to a Googles search of Deno’s 6 & 85, to see if their business website was still up (it wasn’t)…
Oh no…
On March 2, 2025, Deno’s 6 & 85 was destroyed by fire. Flames pouring out of every window, already burned through the plywood covering glass that been broken out years ago. Deno’s classic sign, tagged by MOLD, standing defiant above a bed of fire. This photo from the Adams County Fire Dept. stunned me. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, as of this writing. Think we all know the answer… Rhymes with ARSON.
I hadn’t realized how long these fire investigations take, until researching the fire at the McDonald’s in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.
The next morning, Denver Save The Signs posted this picture of Deno’s to their Facebook page. They expressed concern over the future of Deno’s sign, and hoped to preserve it somehow. They’ve saved many historic signs from around Denver, before they were destroyed during demolition, so I really hope they’re able to salvage Deno’s. Unfortunately, the “Steak House” letters were completely lost in the fire.
Until the investigation is concluded, Deno’s has to sit here, looking like this.
Then it will be scraped from the Earth, no trace left behind.
Adding insult to injury, Deno’s iconic sign (which somehow wasn’t destroyed in the fire) was knocked to the ground from high winds, in July 2025. (Photo by Joe Elliott, posted to Facebook as a reply to Save The Sign’s original post.)
All around, the worst possible outcome for a Denver landmark.
Very depressing.
Railroad Crossing at 53rd & Vazquez. The frontage road to the Triple A Motel is on your right. After bouncing the car over the angled and ridiculously raised railroad tracks, I’ll be making a left turn to move onto a different part of town.
First, a quick slow down for a shot of Certified Vazquez Scale.
Googles now lists this as Permanently Closed.
There are several vacant buildings that look similar to this one, on 50th Avenue. This is either an older building, cleaned up to look new. Or a new building design to look old. I’m pretty sure the painted over sign says: “Denver Parts Depot Euclid Division.” According to the Googles, it looks exactly like this today. As it has since at least 2007. So I don’t think it’s actively used anymore, and likely hasn’t in a long time.
There’s a large gap in my photos, from where I was, at 50th and Colorado Blvd., to my next photo…
Taken in the parking lot of the TA Travel Center, at 5101 Quebec Street. I don’t remember how I got here, I think it was from the north, so I probably took Colorado Blvd. to 56th Avenue to Quebec. Wish I would have taken some pictures along the way…
Inside TA, I bought some car food and drinks, used the restroom and played a subpar game of Ms. Pac Man. Being a full service truck stop, with laundry, showers and multiple restaurants inside, it made sense for there to be a small video arcade. With Skill Crane, pinball, and a few stand up games. Recent Googles photos indicate the Ms. Pac Man machine has been switched out for a Big Buck Hunter. Lame…
After my break, I continued south on Quebec, over 270 and then over 70, and back into Denver.
Always liked the trapezoid shape of the Renaissance Hotel Stapleton. Which used to sit across the street from Stapleton International Airport, before it closed in 1995.
Another large gap in pictures as I went from where Stapleton Airport used to be, all the way over to Smith Road and Havana Street. Also no idea how I got here from there. Might as well continue going east down Smith Road. I’ve never driven around this area in all my years of living in Denver, so this is all new to me.
Railroad tracks sit directly north parallel to Smith Road, and I’ll always snap a photo of train graffiti if I have the chance.
RTD’s light rail ends at Peoria St. Before this extension and station were built in 2014, Smith Road used to go all the way to Peoria. Now the road curves south for two blocks before intersecting with Peoria.
Along the way, I passed the LKQ Pick Your Part parking lot. Three new victims had been dropped off from recent car accidents, to add into the part picking inventory.
Less than twenty minutes later, I drove back the same way. A forklift was already moving the cars into the back lot.
But first, I have to drive north for a bit on Peoria.
Waiting for the light to turn so I can drop by the Phillips 66 on my left. Down the street, there’s a Motel 6, a Rodeway Inn (Now an America’s Best) Motel and a Denny’s. One of my favorite things to waste time online doing is finding these dirt ball motels, then reading the reviews and looking at the customer uploaded photos. So many stories…
Phillips 66 for AA camera batteries and a restroom…
Further down the block, past the dirt ball motels, was an abandoned church. The building looks like it was once trying to become a Pizza Hut, but gave up and became a failed bank, instead. It’s kind of hard to see in this picture, but there’s an empty sign post with crosses on it, in the parking lot.
Today it’s known as a Lightshade dispensary.
Which is better than a bank, a church, or definitely better than a Pizza Hut.
Across Peoria from Lightshade, is the Chrysler Mopar Parts Distributor.
The building looked pretty desolate, and I thought it may be empty until I looked into it further.
When the Googlesmobile drove by in October 2023, it caught United Auto Workers on strike, picketing in front of the Chrysler building. Just thought it was interesting. Let’s get back to Smith Road, and start working my way back southwest of here.
Thanks sign! I hadn’t planned on picking up any hitchhikers this morning.
Didn’t see any. But if I did, this warning is enough to dissuade me.
Entrance and exit for the Denver Corrections facility on Smith Road. I was going to opt for a picture with more rolled razor wire, since it looks so cool sitting on top of the chain link fence. But the entrance won out for labelling.
From Smith and Peoria, I weaved my way through back roads until I met up with Colfax, at Quebec.
Previously home to the Safari Lounge, amongst other businesses in April, 2018.
By November 2024, all of those businesses are gone, and the building is covered up by plywood. Almost like something very bad happened here… By total coincidence, this building went up in 1947. Just like Deno’s 6 & 85!
Denver Swim Club was not a place to just drop your kids off at the pool for a few hours… You had to be over 18 (and a dude) to get inside. Open wide in 2018, it’s now been vacant for about 5 years, after closing during Covid. Found that it was built in 1952, and last sold for $800,000, in 2021. As of today, no one has done anything with it.
Mile High Market was open again in 2018, after being closed for several years. While looking completely generic here, the station is now completely decked out in fresh, new Sinclair duds! I wrote a Colfax-centric story including Mile High Market and Saturdays, awhile back.
I wish this East Colfax Monument in the center island would have been in focus. At least the abandoned laundromat behind it is in focus. Which is kind of strange… Looking at the Googles, that East Colfax Monument was removed from the center island, in the summer of 2024. The former Platinum Cleaners has been re-painted bright green, and is listed as the City Floral Garden Center. And it’s NOT a dispensary!
Denver Upholstery is still open today, and is still painted like this.
Liked the American Beauty painting on the side of Bikram Yoga. Though I don’t think it’s very old, as most of those painted advertisements tend to be.
Arbys was converted into a Chase Bank in 2019, after it stopped being an Arby’s, around 2013. I wrote about the abandoned Arby’s at Colfax and York, several years ago. Guess I did go a lot further east than I’d expected, considering that I’ve only now made it back to York Street.
This was an Ace Cash Express for at least a decade, before closing in 2015. For years it sat looking like it was ready to be plowed under for something newer, bigger and better. Fenced off from society around it. But the bulldozer never came to flatten it.
After sitting empty and looking pathetic for about 8 years, the building was saved and renovated into Chivis Tacos. Which is cool. I figured this would be an at least 8 story apartment building by now. So a locally owned business selling food… Awesome!
Angelo’s CD’s wasn’t open when I drove by, it hadn’t yet hit 10am. But seeing their downtown store (I was a frequent shopper at the Angelo’s on Broadway, Littleton Blvd. before that) made me start remembering some of the CD’s I was looking for. Had they been open, I probably would have stopped in. Pretty sure I’ve only been inside once or twice, but it was a different CD store before Angelo’s. Warehouse? Can’t remember…
Angelo’s CD’s isn’t open here anymore either. They closed this location in 2019, and it was eventually taken over by Bad Axe Throwing. Because there was an agreement about 15 years ago that giving alcoholics axes to throw, was a good idea. So these axe throwing bars are showing up all over the place now.
At least the Ogden Theater behind it, is still going strong.
Until a stray axe goes flying through a window and hits the bass player…
Because I didn’t feel like calling off the photo tour yet, I didn’t turn south at Broadway, instead continuing through the zero-block and continuing west on Colfax. This building at Colfax and Fox street, sat vacant for many years.
It was finally demolished in 2022, with this replacing it.
Another Denver landmark, the Denver Diner, closed permanently in January, 2021.
Surviving Covid, but not post Covid…
Chase Bank bought the property for almost $5 million in 2021. They didn’t demolish the building, instead drastically remodeling it to look like this. Make me wonder how much they spent on renovating an abandoned Arby’s, a few miles east of here. My plan now was to take Colfax to Federal, then go south.
I wanted a shot of Mile High Stadium (or whatever they were calling it in 2018) with Denver beside it.
Recent news about the Denver Broncos future stadium came as kind of a surprise. However, the more I read up on it, I’m actually on board with the plan. Broncos ownership is ponying up an estimated $4 billion of their own money to fund the project. They will buy the state owned property at Burnham Yards. A former rail yard that’s been shut down for several years. The Broncos will build a retractable roof, domed stadium on the site. The dome will allow for year round events at the stadium, something you couldn’t do in the winter at Mile High. The city of Denver will provide infrastructure upgrades to and around the site. Seems like a pretty clear win for both the team and the city. You have to spend money to make money, and as a long term move, this will benefit both sides greatly.
As far as the stadium in this picture, ownership of the entire property will revert back to the City of Denver, after the Broncos 2030 season. Which is the final season of the 30 year lease, the Broncos signed when Mile High Stadium replaced Mile High Stadium, in 2000.
(Funny… Googles is typically on top of blurring out unfavorable words in their Googlesmobile pictures. Somehow this one slipped by. Don’t know who wasn’t paying attention and let the word “Union” appear…)
Once the new BroncoDome in Burnham Yard opens, The second Mile High Stadium will be demolished and the land around it will be redeveloped. Between the stadium footprint, ancillary buildings and the acres of parking lots, there is a lot of space to add affordable housing (not multi-million dollar condos).
So yeah, I’m sure there’s all sorts of “devil in the details” that I’m not aware of after 10 minutes of research. But on the surface, I really like this deal. What’s surprising is how much sense it makes when it’s a sports team owner making such a commitment, of his own money. And the guy behind that is a Walton. As in the Walton of the WalMarts. Like I said, I was fairly surprised by this news.
Driving south on Federal, past Reed Art & Imaging.
From the looks of the building, that is almost certainly being demolished soon…
Or just given a facelift! The building is how home to Namaste Solar.
Just south of Mississippi, I saw the former Elite Laser Salon building (and it’s likely neighbor) was being demolished, with just enough time to snap a picture as I drove by. Which ended up being mostly blocked by an RTD bus shelter.
Replacing the Laser Salon is the Four Seasons Car Wash.
And that was pretty much the extent of the pictures I took until my (then) last target. Which would be a few miles south of here. Completing what was a very messy circle, as I’d be close to this tarting point of today. Figured I’d head home after that and continue packing. Or napping.
Nothing new at Columbine Square. (Parts One and Two.) Seeing those sections of checkerboard tile, which once served as the floor of the dart and bar areas, of the Break Room, inspired a thought… I need to visit Twist & Shout again, before we move back to Minnesota. Laura’s likely not awake anyways, so I should just drive back Downtown.
Always liked the dual railroad bridges over Alameda Avenue.
A couple of weeks ago, I drove by the Kmart at Alameda and Broadway, and saw that it was now fenced off from the rest of the shopping center. Now I’m driving by and seeing more than half of the Kmart has been reduced to rubble. Luckily, I found it when the front entrance was still intact. Barely, but it was there. Love partially demolished buildings with a significantly recognizable feature intact. Parked the car and walked around the entire block, taking 100+ photos of the demolition on all sides.
Before I settled on writing this story, I was planning on FINALLY finishing that Alameda Kmart story. It was started and put on hold many times over the last five years. I’m still no further into it. When I was going through the demolition photos I took this afternoon, I found the ones from the I-70 Viaduct area, and immediately pivoted to this story you’re reading.
The parking lot leading up to the Alameda Kmart front entrance, is now a re-opened Bannock Street. Kmart itself is now a 5 story AMLI Broadway Park Apartments. With the same exact exterior you’d expect them to have.
Oh well… Alameda Kmart demolition photos complete, time to get back to Capital Hill, and Colfax eastbound.
This shot of the Colorado State Capital was used as the lead image for A Leisurely Walk Around Capitol Hill. A story I posted on May 22, 2018. A little more than a week before Laura and I moved back to Minnesota. As the title implies, that story was written while walking around this neighborhood, a few days earlier. I spent a lot of time hanging out with friends here, between 1997 and 2000. That story was written from photos of places I had distinct memories of. The sidewalk shots mixed in with some of the pictures I took on today’s drive thru mission.
With a couple minor exceptions, I’m not re-telling any stories from the Capitol Hill story, here. It’s seven years old, and nowhere near as detailed as I’d like it to be, but it’s worth your time if you’re familiar with the area.
Twist & Shout is another place I really miss. Supplier of much rare and quality entertainment dating back to 1996 (and their more convenient Alameda location). My last Twist & Shout purchases included The Dean Ween Group’s second album, a strange CD with two mid-1980's Camper Van Beethoven shows, and stand-up comedy CD’s from Jim Jefferies and Tom Segura. Also bought Laurence Tolhurst’s book about his years with The Cure (1977-1989). I read the first chapter after we moved back to Minnesota, then I lost the book. I’m sure it’s in my office somewhere. I plan on using some of this coming winter to organize and thin out the Archives, which been slowly boxing me in since 2018.
Intersection of 13th & Josephine. Instead of taking Colfax back to Broadway, I chose 13th Avenue for additional pictures of the Capital Hill neighborhood.
Like a needed decent shot of the pedestrian bridge connecting Morey Middle School to its athletic fields.
And just a taste of the interesting murals painted on the retaining walls.
The 7Eleven at 13th & Pearl Street has now been vacant for close to 15 years…
But according to the Googles, as of 2024, it’s now the Call Your Mother Delicatesson.
I looked at some interior pictures and they are still using the original 7Eleven plastic gold trimmed cooler doors in their kitchen area. Which is now sectioned off behind glass, from the open store this was as 7Elven. Seeing those cooler doors, looking just as they did 25 years ago, brought back memories. Now I want to have a cigarette while sitting on their curb. On my way to Cafe Netherworld…
The left turn off 13th street, onto Broadway… Made this turn hundreds of time over the years…
Speaking of Broadway, going to wrap all this up with a few more landmarks on Broadway, as I make my way back to Englewood.
The 11th Ave Hotel (and Hostel) dates back to 1903. It’s still in operation, and has been updated to look pretty nice. Taste of Philly is no longer here. If you didn’t care about cholesterol, a Philly Cheesesteak and onion rings from Taste of Philly, was the meal dreams are made of…
Murals on The Living Room, and that Jonas Bros. Furs sign… No reaction to the Disney boy band.
The former Gart Brothers (later Sports Authority) Sports Castle has been sitting empty since 2016, after bankruptcy by company noted on the faded sign. The building dates back to the 1920’s, when it was built for use as an auto dealership. They put some effort into the exterior, some beautiful stone work. When Sports Authority closed this signature location, I really hoped it would escape the wrecking ball…
October 2019, on the Googles…
Oh come on now! That is just mean!
The Sports Castle was sold to a developer in August 2021. Their goal was to maintain the building as it was, and convert it into an event space. They were also planning on getting the building recognized as a historic structure.
Just as everyone who has ever lived in Denver will always recognize that “Sniagrab is Bargains spelled backwards”…
Rickenbaugh Cadillac has since updated their building.
That’s not interesting… But I like the name “Rickenbaugh”.
Rickenbaaaaaaauaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…
Never was able to get a decent picture of The Wizards Chest. I should have pulled over sometime…
The Webber Theater is all fixed up and showing no signs of its Kitty’s past.
Yay! Starbucks is almost open!
Caboose Hobbies (and their awesome train mural), was sacrificed in the name of another coffee chain on Broadway. I have still never had Starbucks coffee. And at this point in my life, if I haven’t yet, I see no reason to ever. Either way, go read my Caboose Hobbies story. It’s one of my favorites I’ve ever written.
This used to be Griff’s Hamburgers. Don’t read my Griff’s story. It’s rushed and was written before the abandoned fast food drive thru was even demolished. At some point, I may re-write that one, with additional photos taken after my my 2017 story was posted.
Gates Rubber Plant used to be here. Demolition was completed at the site nearly ten years ago, now. I’m sure something will eventually get built here. Someone let me know when that happens. Eventually I’ll write some more pictorials of Gates demolition. This one was the latest. Links to the others are on that page, if you need to catch up.
Apartments are going up on the southeast corner of Broadway and Mississippi, replacing regional favorites like East Asia Garden and US Bank. I you look closely at the lower left corner of this picture, you can see the brick planters and the sidewalk curbing, that used to front the US Bank building. That was demolished in 2015. The latest Googlesmobile drive by was November 2024. The planters, trees and pieces of the US Bank sidewalk and parking lot are still intact.
Performance Cycle left their big brick building on Broadway, back in 2015. After sitting empty for a couple years, the Fellowship Denver Church moved in and punched a bunch of windows into the exterior walls. Would have loved to have seen what kind of an interior the church started off with, before the renovations.
Speaking of old building makeovers…
The Broadway and Evans Burger King is getting that same character depriving makeover that all Burger Kings seem to get… Chop off the features that makes it look like a Burger King, and replace them with flat neutral panels. Now it looks like every other commercial and residential building that has gone up in the last 30 years! Normally this wouldn’t have interested me much, but I liked the last remaining old pieces of roof vs newer flat look, going up in the same photo.
Last photo of the morning goes to New Broadsterdam. We’ve combined Broadway with Amsterdam, creating Broadsterdam! A dispensary in south Denver, just a few blocks from the Englewood city limits. People have been trying to adopt the same Broadsterdam for this section of Broadway, for years. The name would derive from a lame attempt at connecting the number of marijuana businesses along this segment of Broadway, to the marijuana friendly streets of Amsterdam. Definitely a stretch. (Giving yourself a nickname never works… You think I decided to be known as “Captain Honkass” on my own?) Don’t know how successful the Broadsterdam campaign has been, but I’m on my way home to partake.
So at least the implication works.
******
Tuesday May 14, 2018
Countdown to leaving here is coming up very soon. We ain’t ready. I’m almost as far behind on my writing. However, we can still move if I haven’t written about May travels around town. In important updates, the moving van has been rented for the drive to Minnesota. Either Vision Comics or Mile High Comics are going to take a bunch of collectable toys off my hands, and a few bins of DVD’s, CD’s and books are sitting at 2nd & Charles right now, while they appraise all of it.
I don’t care what they give me, I just don’t want to bring it to Minnesota…
******
But for now, let’s catch up!
Writing about the April 28, 2018 Photo Tour commenced for the next notebook page, probably around 1500 hand-written words. Linear, stream of conscience piece about what I saw, and how it went. Reference material for a story to be written at some point in the future. Well, it had value. All of those notes found their way into various points of this story, some seven years later.
I still really miss Denver...
And one of these days I’ll finally write the Alameda Kmart story.
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