“I can’t remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride Something touched me deep inside The day the music died”
— Don McLean, American Pie
by Luke Schmaltz
As with any art form, there are dabblers, there are enthusiasts and there are absolute fanatics. For years, Denver has encouraged all manner of minstrels from prodigies and virtuosos to working players and weekend warriors. These dynamics play into the fickle nature of music, as trends turn over at hypersonic speeds — prompting fans to abandon a movement just as quickly as they adopted it before even considering its merit. Similarly, some musicians are quick to call it quits when a new fad, craze or in this case — a pandemic — comes along that does not resonate with their aspirations. Some, on the other hand, refuse to hang it up at any cost.
Way Back When
Before mid-March of 2020, Denver’s diversity made for an exciting ensemble — an aural offering of such variety that just about any night of the week you could find some kind of a sonic display going on, whether it was rock and roll, country, hip-hop, blues, electronica or even the ear-splitting cacophony of a dive bar karaoke night. All this has changed now, as Denver venues have, for the most part, been forced to shut down their operations. Mainstays such as the Gothic, Bluebird, Ogden and Marquee theatres are shuttered along with big venues like Red Rocks, the Fillmore Auditorium, Denver Coliseum, Mission Ballroom, Levitt Pavilion and more. And then there are the little guys — the lifeblood of local musicians and C-circuit touring bands. Places like Lions Lair, Hi-Dive and Larimer Lounge are hanging on by a thread while Live at Jack’s, Armida’s, 3 Kings Tavern and Skylark Lounge have closed permanently.
Lockdown Fallout: Shuttered theatres and out-of-work employees and musicians.
A Fragile Construct
Many a working musician has contended with smug, demeaning and dismissive venue owners and booking managers who think musicians need them and not the other way around. Conversely, many a club manager has dealt with the insufferable whining of fledgling musicians who think they have the world coming to them on a platter just because they can play 12-bar blues. In reality, it’s a symbiotic relationship, with only the hardiest (or luckiest) of either archetype standing a chance of making it out the other side, identity intact. From a musician standpoint, the hobbyists and weekend warriors will sit this one out while the diehard, lifelong players, composers and engineers will grind on — adapting in stubborn overtures of Darwinian survival.
Stalwart Strategies
The Hibernator
Learning Something New: Aaron Howell wants you to learn something new during the pandemic.
Aaron Howell is the captivating singer and frontman for Denver-based hard rock favorites MF Ruckus. An international touring act that has long-graduated from dive bars and house parties, they are the type of mid-to-large-draw touring band forced into hiatus due to mass closure of theatre-sized venues. Not one to easily, if ever, admit defeat — Howell has chosen to see the pandemic through an esoteric lens. “Some of the greatest learnings in human history have happened during times of plague,” he explains. “It’s one of the default settings that we, as musicians, are built to run.”
“There’s an old Russian saying,” Howell continues, “If you chase two rabbits you catch none.” Rather than lose sight of his goals, he has chosen to intensify his focus. Putting his money where his mouth is, Howell has begun expanding his horizons by taking online music courses to enhance his guitar skills. “Now that the world has shut down, the tethers holding us to any excuse to not try new things have frayed away. Although Howell is not all rainbows and sunshine, he does maintain the glint of a steel-tinted silver lining: “I think about quitting every day. But what keeps me going, is that my obsessive completionism won’t let me leave anything unfinished.”
The Prodigy
Tim Merz — aka Timmy Flips — is the dynamic, triple threat creative force behind hybrid punk/metal outfit Red Stinger. Before the shutdown, when he wasn’t arranging complex lyrical hip-hop overtures or riff-heavy rock and roll tunes, he was working as owner/operator/head instructor of Booth Dance Studios — teaching ballroom dance and other disciplines of movement to a large, diverse, demanding student body. Unlike most folks, Merz did not regard the shutdown with dread, as his own physical exhaustion was on course to slow him down one way or another. “When I heard there was a possibility we’d be put on lockdown, it saved my life, really. I had an overwhelming sense of relief because my life got to pause, and I finally got to breathe.”
Triple Threat: Tim Merz aka Timmy Flips aka Twinkle Toes; a lockdown triple threat.
While counterintuitive to most, Merz’s perception of the situation was as unorthodox as his self-appointed artistic trifecta of punk rock, hip-hop and ballroom dance. He wasted no time shifting focus as an overextended teacher to a hyper-productive musician. “Once I accepted the shutdown was imminent, the faucet opened up and I decided to just do me … for the first time ever I was like — what a gift, what a blessing — it was exactly what I needed. Since mid-March, Merz has written a two-person dance piece and a full cast stage dance show, recorded a hip-hop album and written a four-part Red Stinger musical series titled The Stinger Scriptures — soon to be released in four separate recordings.
The Adaptor
Bart McCrorey: Engineering mastermind and musical wizard didn’t skip a “lockdown” beat.
Bart McCrorey is the proprietor and sonic wizard behind the Crash Pad studio as well as a slew of bands including Messiahvore, Throttlebomb, Valio Mierda and The Pitch Invasion to name a few. He has produced and engineered records for tens of dozens if not hundreds of Denver bands over the past 20 years. The shutdown put a serious damper on studio recordings at first, but he was quickly able to switch to working virtually — having musicians send him raw tracks recorded remotely that he could then enhance, add accompaniments to, mix and master to his clients’ content.
Two of McCrorey’s bands have also been among the select acts to participate in Safe and Sound — a music series put on by the Oriental Theater — one of the few large venues to remain in operation during the pandemic. No small feat, as every event must be monitored scrupulously for adherence to social distancing guidelines and capped at 25% occupancy. On the fun side, McCrorey used everyone’s favorite social media garbage chute, Facebook, to introduce an interactive page that threatened to turn the tide from despondent and divisive to upbeat and educational. Riff Book was launched in the early days of the lockdown and quickly grew to nearly 1,000 members sharing guitar licks, songs and solos rather than polarizing rhetoric and sob stories.
The Troubadour
Tony Luke: Discovered abundance amid the scarcity of live music.
Tony Luke unplugged his guitar for only as long as the Colorado governance mandated and not a measure more. The renowned bluesman is locally revered as one of the best in the business — from his generation (X) for sure. Avoiding the popular downtown clubs and trendy hipster bars, Luke prefers the mom and pop dives of the Denver outskirts, which are somewhat removed from the intense scrutiny of most establishments near the city’s popular epicenter. After being forced to take nearly three months off (April through June) Luke began playing his local circuit of small venues tucked away in suburban strip malls and semi-rural thoroughfares. Contrary to Aaron Howell’s aforementioned MF Ruckus, Luke’s band is just the right size of small but mighty. “Bands that are bigger fish present a problem for venues right now and no one wants to book them,” he attests. “But I’m a roadhouse band, so I play for existing audiences and turn them into fans by the end of the night.”
Luke was pleasantly surprised that bar patrons were overly exuberant and yes, even thankful for live music in unprecedented ways. “I have found success in the pandemic because people are starved for music,” he explains. “My tip jars have tripled from 80 dollars or so to sometimes 300 and 400 bucks a night.” He chooses to view the circumstances through a romantic lens of sorts, stating “I am seeing this time as a sort of renaissance of the old-time juke-joint type of blues nights. You know, when there were no other shows going on and no big concerts — just a couple guys on a small stage in a little bar and people really, really appreciated the music.”
At the onset of 2020, Samantha Donen had it made. She had recently graduated from Metro State University with a Bachelor of Science in industrial design. After completing four years of intense study, she had also won several prestigious design contest awards including first place in the Community Veggie Box Denver Botanic Gardens Contest, first place in the Clean River Design Challenge, sponsored by Greenway Foundations and the City of Denver, as well as the 2020 Impact Award from MSU Denver. She has also designed a dog harness called “Wag” and an ergonomic desk for children dubbed “Little Butts.”
As February crept into March, however, it became apparent that an industry frozen from the impending COVID-19 shutdown was putting a serious damper on her dreams. Sam was set to kick off her career as an exhibit designer, when over 650 trade shows across multiple industries were shut down by COVID-19 restrictions. By April, it was clear that pursuit of her design career would have to be put on hold, as the pandemic had other ideas for the economy and for society in general. “Pursuing my passion in a year riddled with anxiety was not an easy thing to do,” she recalls. “”I had to realize,” she continues, “that it was not personal — this was happening to everybody.”
A Hero’s Journey
Despondent but not deterred, Donen sought guidance from a local leader by the name of Rabbi Yossi — a figure known for his outreach work with the Jewish community the world over. He encouraged Sam to follow her chosen path no matter the obstacles — citing the parable of Noah’s Ark as a compelling example of design work rendered in a challenging time.
Despite the lockdown, Samantha Donen was determined to put her design skills to work.
Inspired to press on, Donen began noticing the repeating news items about the severe lack of readily available personal protective equipment (PPE) — not just for medical workers, but for the average citizen as well. She did a bit of digging and discovered Make4Covid.co — a nonprofit organization dedicated to making masks and delivering them to as many hospital workers and everyday citizens as possible.
Donen reached out to Dan Griner, the Design and Clinical Testing Lead for Make4Covid, and after a four-hour Zoom meeting she was welcomed into the fold. She then teamed up with Lance Ferguson, the Soft Goods Industrial Designer. The two were tasked with curating a database of all the mask designs floating about the internet and coming up with one universal design which was effective, comfortable, easy for beginners to sew and great for experts to mass produce.
Off To The Races, Onto The Faces
Thirty days later, after several prototypes and tests, they had created the perfect design along with a “how to” video to boot — complete with captions, examples and narrated instructions. Donen then found a way to become further involved, “Since I live in the Denver/Aurora area, I offered to be a ‘hub captain’ — so people drop off and pick up at my place every Sunday — with all COVID-19 precautions in place, of course.” A typical Sunday will have folks who are donating materials dropping off, people dropping off batches of completed masks, and organizations in need of masks picking up requested orders.
Although her professional career was still on hold, Donen quickly discovered that she was gaining valuable experience not only as a designer, but as a coordinator, an administrator and a team leader. “Where I could have become isolated (due to COVID-19 shutdown) I was actually becoming more and more connected to people in my industry.”
“This is a big organization,” Donen explains, “with a marketing team, lawyers, clinical testers, shipping departments, request receiving departments and a lot more.” Ever the driven innovator, Donen then created a child-sized version of the Make4Covid model with a “cord lock” for the ear straps and an overall smaller design.
An Inspiring Perspective
Thus far, Make4Covid has sewn and distributed over 20,000 masks for COVID-19 prevention in the Denver area and more than 50,000 overall. Donen’s design is an open source model available to anyone and everyone who wants and/or needs to make masks. Currently, there is a network of volunteers making masks for family, for professionals in their personal circle and even as a way to make a few bucks — which is perfect for those who have lost work due to the shutdown.
Donen offers some words of wisdom after her first year in the private sector: “Anyone still struggling with ‘what’s next’ or ‘what do I do’ since their careers may have been interrupted — I encourage you to reach out and see where your skills can be used. You can still have a purpose and make a difference and maybe even become part of an organization of like-minded people. Before you give up, seek guidance from someone who can offer an outside perspective.”
The Story Of A “Sewist”
Somewhere along the way, the Make4Covid mask-sewing volunteers were given the nickname of “Sewists” — a term of endearment, no doubt, for folks donating their time and effort for the greater good. One such volunteer is Sammie Hamilton, a longtime friend of Samantha Donen who was drawn into the Make4Covid movement through Donen’s enthusiasm and gung-ho attitude. “She is this driving force — she really inspired me,” recalls Hamilton, an experienced jeweler skilled in the mediums of copper, silver and brass. “I dusted off an old sewing machine, looked at the directions and got to work — and I don’t even sew!” Sammie and husband Tate are long-standing stalwarts of the Denver arts and music scene. “One thing we have learned is adaptability. That’s a hallmark of the art world.”
A sampling of masks from Sammie Hamilton — a “Sewist” for Make4Covid.
Hamilton sews masks nearly every day, donating anywhere from 25 to 50 per week and even making a few on the side to sell where and when she can simply through word of mouth — no website, no Twitter account, no Instagram — just by reaching out to other people personally. She sees her involvement in Make4Covid as a silver lining of sorts: “She [Donen] challenged me in a very soft, very quiet way … and that’s what has kept me going from April until now.”
Enter The “Stitch Ninjas”
Meanwhile, by mid-March 2020, another Denver group had surfaced with a similar directive. The Denver Mask Task Force was started by Amanda Glen, who saw the need for PPE and drew inspiration from her mother’s quilting group on Facebook. Volunteers making masks for medical professionals were dubbed “Stitch Ninjas” and can currently order a sew kit at denvermask taskforce.com and get started asap. Currently, the group is run by Sara Spery and volunteer partner Amy Perlman. Thus far, Spery reports having donated 42,000 masks to medical providers.
The Denver Mask Task Force “Stitch Ninjas” are making a huge difference across the Mile High City.
The group launched with a small grant of 10K and a slew of donated start-up materials. A local arts and crafts supplier, Fancy Tiger Crafts, (59 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203) heard about the Denver Mask Task Force and reached out to help by sharing their network of fabric and textile manufacturers for soliciting donations. “One of the coolest things from this experience” Spery attests, “is that it has given people’s lives purpose and meaning, whether it is an elderly person who can’t leave home who is sewing masks or a person with a car who is delivering them.”
The company’s business model is a hybrid concept, with the directive of donating time, materials and finished products to the medical field while marketing high-quality, breathable, washable, reusable masks to the general public. An inspiring effort indeed, to see a new business forming rather than another one shutting down. “I was in it from the get-go,” Spery continues, “I was bored, I had nothing to do — so I had nothing to lose.”
In a year when tensions between police departments and the general public are at an all-time high, the notion of appointing individuals to act as liaisons between cops and civilians sounds like a smart, albeit complicated idea. Community Resource Officers (CROs) are assigned to do exactly that and are commissioned to address the non-emergency concerns of citizens ranging from issues such as neighborhood awareness, personal safety and reporting crimes after the fact.
Work Together: To affect positive change, citizens and cops may have to learn to work together.
This year has no doubt been especially challenging for CROs, as law enforcement at large is being subjected to hyper-focused scrutiny from mainstream news sources, alternative media outlets and many sectors of the general public. While it is true that the terrible actions of the few have sullied the perception of the character of the many, effective law enforcement holds an ever-crucial role in American society.
Apply A Bit Of Objective Reason
The cry to “defund the police” some citizens argue is an ill-conceived notion that, if legislated upon, would lead to extreme danger. They see a society without law enforcement, especially one as armed, addicted, and mentally afflicted as America, would quickly deteriorate into a dystopian dust bowl of lawlessness. Yet, the current climate is placing unprecedented pressure on police departments nationwide to acknowledge, address, and correct the long-standing stigmas of racism, murder, corruption and inadequate responses to common situations.
Oftentimes, the above stereotypes are perpetuated because police officers are dispatched to circumstances which they are not trained to handle such as ongoing domestic disputes, disagreements between neighbors and mentally challenged individuals who are under extreme duress. Such instances highlight the importance of CROs, and how engaging with them can help residents understand when making a 9-1-1 call is the right move and when a non-emergency situation can be handled through more effective means. Perhaps most importantly, the Denver Police Department (denvergov.org) offers a comprehensive neighborhood watch program,
Officers: Denver Community Resource Officers.
Find Out What’s Going On
Believe it or not, some citizens may not realize that some “call 9-1-1” situations can be avoided through crime prevention. Denver Community Resource Officers hold regular meetings via their respective district headquarters which are open to the public. Due to Covid-19 precautions, these meetings have been temporarily switched to online Zoom format — hosted by specific neighborhood organizations. Regardless, these meetings are designed to equip residents with ample “Neighborhood Watch” signage for deterring residential crime and to provide crucial information on crime rates and the most recent trends in theft. Further, the DPD website offers comprehensive information on pinpointing and reporting gang activity, graffiti removal, crime statistics and maps, anonymous reporting, volunteer-operated neighborhood “Cop Shops,” victim services and more. Recently, Community Resource Officer for District 3, Kate Young, met with Baker residents in a socially distanced outdoor setting to listen to concerns and offer advice on the best ways to deal with homeless camps, midnight backyard prowlers, and license plate theft.
Get Involved
While it is by no means any citizen’s responsibility to do the job of the police, a little concern and outgoing action can go a long way — and maybe even save a life. A person can report the descriptions of people you see committing crimes such as theft, vandalism and assault. You can also write down the license plate numbers of hit-and-run drivers or burglary getaway cars. Such instances of involvement not only establish communication between your community and local law enforcement, they can also create trust between these two divided sectors of society while enhancing the overall safety of the neighborhood. Meanwhile, it is important to understand that CROs stress that taking care of your own safety first in a crisis — NOT putting yourself in greater danger — is job number one.
9-1-1: Some circumstances requiring civil servant involvement are not always 9-1-1 emergencies.
Connect On Social Media
DPD is also trying to connect with residents via Nextdoor — a social media platform dedicated to connecting residents of specific neighborhoods within a specific sector of a city. Their page on this platform, however, is more of an informal message board that is not monitored 24/7 and is not a replacement for dialing 911. Citizens with video footage from their doorbell cameras or their smartphones can upload footage of burglars, prowlers and crimes along with incident reports directly onto the DPD Nextdoor page. This is, of course, in addition to making a formal report via the DPD non-emergency number; 720-913-STOP (7867). Posting on this platform and on the DPD thread is particularly useful because other residents can have access to the video feeds, images and descriptions that help them identify danger before the fact or, at the very least, add to the reports of specific incidents and individuals who are out committing crimes. The page also provides tips on preventing theft of motorcycles, scooters, cars, trucks and license plates as well as the protocols for reporting street racing.
Boots On The Ground?
At this point in 2020, Denver Police Department CROs may either be performing a high-wire act or simply tip-toeing on eggshells. This may explain why attempts to contact six different CROs and one volunteer were met with neutral responses. Former CRO Bob Anderson replied to email interview questions by explaining: “I am no longer assigned as a CRO, as I have moved on to a different assignment within the police department. These are all good questions and I have copied the District 1 CRO team on this response so they can respond to your request. Thank you.”
Defund The Police: Some folks who subscribe to logic and reason agree that this is a terrible idea.
Meanwhile, CRO Kate Young answered a phone call, yet declined an interview or the opportunity to respond to questions about CRO protocol stating: “We have to run our answers by our supervisors before we can say anything to the press. I will try and get back to you before your deadline.”
Lastly, DPD volunteer Christie Mochoruk offered: “Through my personal experiences volunteering with DPD, I’ve witnessed many partnerships formed between our Officers and residents, once those in our community understood how and who to communicate with and the best way to utilize the many resources available to them. I would love to answer some of your questions, but I will need to reach out to the Officers first for permission, as I’m only a volunteer and want to ensure the integrity of the information being shared comes across in the most effective way.”
There was no further reply in the 55+ hours left on this journalist’s assignment hourglass between Monday, October 12 at 7 a.m. and Wednesday, October 14 at 1 p.m.
Perhaps they were all too busy making the rounds in their respective jurisdictions, or maybe the role of CROs is primarily one of forward-facing PR significance and not much else. One thing is for sure; currently there is not enough continual engagement between the public and the CROs to make a noticeable dent in crime and to assuage the general public disdain towards the police. This makes one thing clear — if you’re a citizen who wants things to improve — you’re going to have to meet your CRO halfway.
“When I was a kid, I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and asked him to forgive me.” — Emo Phillips
by Luke Schmaltz
Irony rolls up and down the streets of the Mile High City, as many unhoused inhabitants — unable or unwilling to pay the skyrocketing rent rates — somehow cruise about upon top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art, high-end triumphs of transportation.
Bicycles as well as their various parts and components are legal tender among some folks, and are traded, bartered, bought and sold with fervor — as each new morning presents a fresh batch of bikes to the curbside marketplace that were acquired the night before.
Theft: Someone riding one bike while carrying another may not have paid for either.
As Denver transplants from Silicon Valley and the Big Apple snuggle up and snooze in their posh Baker bungalows and overpriced Five Points rentals, enterprising prowlers from adjacent areas creep about and help themselves to the easy pickings of low-hanging, two-wheeled fruit.
Scenes Of The Crime
Backyards, side yards, garages, porches, storage rooms, carports and yes — the insides of residences — are not the only settings for theft. Bike racks on cars and in front of businesses as well as railings, parking meters, and street sign poles — any convenient construct upon which a bike can be locked — are pawed at daily as thieves apply various tactics for obtaining tires, chains, pedals, handlebars, seats and — many times — the whole dang thing.
An Accelerating Trend
Bicycle theft in Denver is on a record-setting pace in 2020. According to an article published by 5280.com, by October 5th there were over 3,200 reported thefts which almost eclipses the total amount of 3,283 reported in all of 2019. In late May of this year, Cycling Weekly reported their findings that insurers were seeing a near 50 percent rise in theft claims thus far, while industry professionals in the retail sector are scrambling to keep up with the buying demand. Many attribute the spike in bike sales to the pandemic lockdown, as boredom and the desire to get (or stay) fit drove people to cycling since gyms were closed down. This, in turn, feeds the theft rate as there are more bikes available, more homeless people needing transportation and most importantly — less consequence for petty crimes as law enforcement is being pressured to take a passive, inconsequential approach to low-level nonviolent crime.
Thieves: The day of discovering your bike was stolen will come like a thief in the night.
The Lowest Of The Low
Not all people see bike theft as a “no big deal” situation, as many urban professionals ride to and from work every day — using their bike as either primary or sole means of transportation. For instance, Denver cyclist Jef Kopp rides from the Highlands district to his job at Little Black Church in Larimer Square every day. Having suffered several thefts across his decades as a cyclist, he attests: “Bicycle theft is not only a serious problem for those who depend on their bikes for transportation, it’s an act of violence. Stealing a bike might mean the bike’s owner misses a shift at work and subsequently loses a job. Or it might mean the loss of something sacred to a person like me, who not only rides bikes in a utilitarian way, but also finds a deeper connection to nature and spirituality.”
Who Is Responsible?
Meanwhile, the bike frames, handlebars, chains, pedals and tires are stacking up by the dozens — concentrated in chop shop-like setups along Logan St., in Capitol Hill, Santa Fe Ave. and various other ad-hoc dwellings that bear the unmistakable characteristics of homeless encampments. Some Denver residents have resorted to visiting these places to find their stolen property, such as downtown Denver newcomer Carter Haun, who — as reported by thedenver channel.com — who recently used a Facebook group called “Denver Stolen Bikes” to locate his prized, customized bike. He found it at the campsite on Logan and 13th streets and paid the person in possession of it $160 to get it back. Meanwhile, the blame game is swirling about — as homeless and their advocates are blaming bike owners for not sufficiently locking up their property, bike owners are blaming the police for not enforcing the law against theft, and cops are blaming the media for making them all look like murderers and neutralizing their ability to do their jobs.
Bicycle Insurance: Theft prevention and insurance can make the risk of having your bike stolen worth the trouble.
Take Action
For now, it is up to bike owners to adopt a hypervigilant approach to protecting their property. In doing so, it is important to begin by understanding the various ways in which bike parts and entire bikes are stolen.
• Hands — flimsy locks and chains can simply be yanked apart by someone who is properly motivated.
• Hand tools — parts that are held onto the frame by hexagonal bolts can be quickly loosened with a pair of channel locks, pliers or a crescent wrench.
• Hacksaws — cheap and easy to use, these can cut through most cables and chains in a matter of minutes.
• Bolt cutters — not as cheap as a saw but many times faster to use, one snip and a padlock, chain or steel cable can be rendered useless.
• Pry bars — crude but effective, a few good yanks and your lock can be broken or the metal your bike is locked onto can be bent apart.
• Bottle jacks — requiring a bit more planning and finesse, this mechanism used to lift a car can be properly placed and extended to pry apart loosely arranged U-locks and chains.
• Portable grinders — a battery operated grinder, while noisy, can cut through steel in a matter of a couple of minutes.
Practice Prevention
Inventory: Bikes tend to pile up between tents in inner city encampments.
Meanwhile, as a bicycle owner who cherishes and values your property, there are a few steps you can take to decrease the chances of a thief making off with your bike and increase your chances of recovery if it is stolen.
• Avoid flimsy locks altogether including thin chains and cables. Instead, invest in a super sturdy brand of U-lock and use two at a time to secure the front tire and frame as well as the back tire and frame to a bike rack, railing or otherwise permanent installment.
• Get the right brand — the best U-locks and other non-chain, non-cable applications with stellar reputations for being unbreakable are made by Kryptonite, Abus and Foldylock — among others.
Tools: Various tools and methods are used to quickly liberate bikes from their locks.
• Buy insurance — depending on how much you paid for your bike, how much you use it and how much you love it — the premiums may be worth the peace of mind.
• Document — taking photos of yourself holding or sitting on your bike can help verify that you are the owner.
• Register — filing your bike’s serial number and other ownership-specific information with your local police precinct can also help recover the bike in the event it is stolen.
Ultimately, the only way to guarantee that your bike remains in your possession is to never let it out of your sight. As that is impossible for most — you can instead choose to go back to driving everywhere, lock the thing up like it’s made of pure gold, or simply go buy one for far below market price. All you have to do is pay a visit to one of Denver’s bustling “chop shops,” and you’ll be pedaling away on the cheap in no time.
On the corner of Emerson and the 900 block of E. 1st Ave. in Denver’s Speer neighborhood sits Carmen Court — a 95-year-old piece of Denver history that is figuratively torn apart, a notion that could soon take place in the literal sense.
The forces at work here are three-fold, involving the will of the owner occupants, the wishes of the surrounding neighborhood and the financial leverage of an international real-estate development company.
From The Inside Out
The owners of the six condominium units at Carmen Court — a Pueblo Revival Style multi-family complex built in 1925 are looking at a financial windfall. According to an article by BusinessDen.com, the entire property has a list value of $5.5 million, indicating that the owners of each unit could anticipate an average payout of $916,000.
1925: Carmen Court as it appeared after its 1925 completion by builder Burt Rhoads, an engineer for the Gates Rubber Company.
The owner-occupants of Carmen Court recently aligned with the property owners of the three residential lots to the south in order to broker a deal to sell the dirt beneath the buildings to Hines, a Texas-based real estate investment, development and management firm that plans to erect a five+ story assisted living facility. One of the terms of this deal is that the owners will arrange to have the properties demolished before Hines will close on the contract. Upon applying for a permit to do so and then posting said permit as required by law, there was significant outcry among the area residents. This prompted neighbors to seek a preservation-minded approach by filing for Carmen Court to bear a landmark designation status.
The numerous “No Trespassing” signs made it apparent that knocking on doors for an interview was ill advised. Yet, numerous stories from other news sources confirm that Carmen Court residents are not interested in the preservation approach, citing a unanimous desire to sell rather than incurring the increasingly costly expense of upkeep on a century-old building.
From The Outside In
Neighbors, members of the West Washington Park Neighborhood Association, and an amalgam of Denver-based architects and preservationists, have come together to form Friends of Carmen Court (FoCC). Contrary to what the name suggests, members of FoCC do not share the same vision as the current owner occupants. From the FoCC’s perspective, however, the proposed nine-lot development plan represents a potential monstrosity that will further erase the heritage and identity of their community.
Vying For Historical Landmark: Proponents of historical landmark designation claim Carmen Court was built in the Pueblo Revival Style. Yet, it bears resemblance to Mediterranean villas and lacks the style’s signature round roof beams known as “vigas.”
While the residents of Carmen Court are obviously interested in selling and moving on, the FoCC have other motivations. Mark Harris, a group member and one of the three neighbors required for the filing of the landmark designation states via email: “We, the three near neighbors, have been in discussions with the owners and Hines on how the building can have an adaptive re-use within the new development. We are also trying to find another buyer to step in and develop the site while preserving the building. We are not trying to prevent density or new development in our neighborhood; we’re just trying to save an important building from ending up in the landfill. While some have painted the picture as an either-or, we see it as both-and. Hines can buy the building from the owners at their asking price, and still save the building by incorporating it into their new development. We have just all agreed on a 45-day extension to allow for time to reach an agreement before the issue is in front of City Council on Nov 2nd.”
Meanwhile, FoCC member Sarah McCarthy voices a community-wide aesthetic concern about the idea of losing Carmen Court, stating: “It’s really part of the neighborhood. It is truly unique in its landscaping and design. The owners may not be interested in (historical) designation, but we see the building as having a larger architectural and historical significance.”
From The Top Looking Down
The proposed compromise would require Hines to preserve the exterior integrity of Carmen Court, and perhaps repurpose the condos for reception areas, dining facilities or street-level storage while somehow erecting a multi-story assisted living facility around the existing structure. While this sort of a compromise sounds a bit farfetched, it is not unheard of in other redeveloping parts of Denver. Recently, similar historical landmark designations have been passed for places like Tom’s Diner on Colfax and the Howard Berkeley Park Chapel of Tennyson St. While both involved some level of compromise, neither included building a high-rise residential behemoth atop a century-old structure.
Signs: In addition to the red signs, Carmen Court is replete with “No Trespassing” signs to ward off nosy journalists.
Hines Managing Director Chris Crawford, while unavailable for comment, was recently quoted on the matter at Business Den.com. He indicated that Hines would consider walking away if another developer would agree to taking over the existing contract with the Carmen Court owners. This new developer, in the event of a historical designation being assigned to the property, would have to build around the existing structure while assuring that Hines be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred thus far.
While a land swap with another developer was discussed, the deal was turned down by Hines due to the location of the other property. At any rate, whether an historical designation is assigned to the property is up to what the Denver City Council decides when the 45-day extension is up in mid-October. If so, the next step is up to the willingness of the Development Industrial Complex to settle for a compromise. If there is no historical designation, you can bet there will soon likely be no Carmen Court.
At any rate, the fate of Carmen Court is yet unknown, but currently it appears to be in the hands of those who have the least to lose.
