Photo: Mercury Cafe | Story by Antonio Velez, KUSA-TV Denver || After 50 years of business, the Mercury Cafe is closing its doors and handing over its location to Colorado’s only lesbian-focused bar, according to a social media post by Pearl Divers. The Mercury Cafe, at 2199 California St. near downtown Denver, has been in business since 1975. The restaurant and bar is home to staple events such as tarot readings, dancing lessons and musical performances.
Throughout the years, the Mercury Cafe has hosted The Lumineers, blink-182, Radiohead, Foo Fighters and other popular bands and musicians, according to their website. The venue has also served as a platform for Denver’s independent music scene.
The closure was announced via social media Tuesday by Pearl Divers, the speak-tiki dive bar that said it will take over the Mercury Cafe’s location. Currently on 13th Avenue, Pearl Divers is the only lesbian-centered bar in Colorado. It opened a few months after the closure of what used to be the state’s only sapphic bar, Blush & Blu.
The business said it will shut down its 13th Avenue location and move to the California Street building by the end of March.
Pearl Divers said it will rename the building to “The Pearl” to pay homage to their original location and broaden the scope of the business. The bar said its goal is to revitalize the legacy of the Mercury Cafe and “to give fresh life to this space, honoring its rich history as a treasured gathering spot for Denver’s LGBTQIA+ community and beyond.”
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Go here to read the full story which originally appeared on 9 News Denver:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/denver-s-iconic-mercury-cafe-closing-its-doors-after-50-years/
Photo: Mercury Cafe | https://www.facebook.com/mercurycafe
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El Chapultepec® Clarifies Future Plans: Preserve memories and continue the legacy of music and community
DENVER — El Chapultepec seeks to clarify that we are not involved with the redevelopment of 1962 Market Street. We do continue our work to preserve El Chapultepec’s legacy and support live music in Denver though our partnerships with DazzleJazz and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.
El Chapultepec was a historic jazz and blues venue that the Krantz family owned and operated for 87 years before closing in December of 2020. Monfort Companies purchased the property from Shames Makovsky in 2022. Since that time all of our communications with the Monfort team have indicated that they are not interested in buying naming rights to the registered trademarks, El Chapultepec or The ’Pec. Representatives for the company have indicated that they will create their own concept. Monfort Companies has a lengthy history of successful redevelopment across the state of Colorado. Historic Denver states that they will continue to work together with Monfort Companies to preserve the historic nature of the building and neon signage.
In our effort to continue the legacy and tradition of El Chapultepec in Denver, we continue working to ensure access to quality, affordable live music. El Chapultepec Piano Lounge at Dazzle hosts no-cover late night shows Thursday through Saturday nights. Upcoming shows include:
Thursday March 13 @ 11 p.m.: David Honig
Friday March 14 @ 11 p.m.: SF1 Drum Duo
Saturday March 15 @ 1130 p.m.: Hunter Gammel & Alexi Petersen
More information can be found at https://www.ThePecLegacy.com