By Robert Garrison & Ryan Fish, Channel 7 News, KUSA Denver | A Denver landmark is no more. The former Royal Palace Motel on Colorado Boulevard was demolished Tuesday after standing abandoned for over a decade.
Built in 1969 near the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and E. Colfax Avenue, the six-story Royal Palace Motel once boasted 70 rooms, a meeting room, and a glass elevator. However, the area’s crime rate steadily increased over the years, and the property fell into disrepair, closing for good in 2013.Since then, the former Royal Palace Motel building has sat empty, becoming an eyesore to some but a memory palace to others.
Watch video of the demolition below
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Some nearby residents told Denver7 in January 2024 they hoped the impending demolition wouldn’t lead to the loss of the motel’s iconic sign, which featured a large crown topped with a spinning disco ball. Luckily, Jonny Barber [f/k/a The Velvet Elvis], a Denver resident who collects artifacts from Colfax Avenue, swooped in to save the sign.
Part of it is on display, Barber said, at an eastside art gallery called Counterpath (7935 East 14th Avenue, Denver 80220). The crown and disco ball are at his home.
“The feelings about the Royal Palace are all across the spectrum,” Barber told Denver7 on Wednesday.
“I’ve had people that are just like, ‘Man, that is such an eyesore. I couldn’t wait to see that thing go.’ And then other people that are like, ‘You know, that sign is a… classic piece. It belongs in a museum.'”
Barber, who likens himself to Indiana Jones when it comes to Colfax artifacts, said his goal is to one day open a museum or attraction that displays neon signs and other pieces of the street’s history.
“Neon is art, and neon is just beautiful,” he said. “[Neon signs] have that allure because their job is to, you know, draw people off the street.”
Read the whole article here and watch the video of the demolition and interview with Jonny:
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/the-long-abandoned-royal-palace-motel-in-denver-has-been-demolished
Photo: Jonny Barber