By Molly Martin, Westword | “Why not revitalize Colfax history?” asks Steven Alix, who plans to do just that with a new concept that will open next month in the former home of the Irish Snug, at 1201 East Colfax Avenue. Alix is no stranger to the storied strip: He also owns the Squire Lounge, nightlife staple X Bar and sports bar Tight End, with the latter two specifically geared toward the LGBTQ community.
In January, he signed a lease for the Irish Snug space, which operated as an Irish pub for eighteen years before shuttering in January 2022. “It was a full year” of the space being vacant, Alix notes. But soon the doors will open once again.
Alix is taking over both the main level and the downstairs space, and is planning to call the new venture Crazy Horse, an homage to the address’s famed former establishment, Sid King’s Crazy Horse Bar, a strip club that operated there from the 1940’s to 1983.
Sid King himself was a prominent figure in Denver, known as a snappy dresser who sported signature large, round two-tone glasses. He and the strip club even made an appearance in 1978’s Every Which Way but Loose, starring Clint Eastwood and an orangutan. Elvis Presley is said to have frequented the joint as well.
During the era of King’s Crazy Horse, Colfax “was like Vegas,” Alix says, complete with loads of neon signs, many of which have disappeared from the storied street.
But not all are gone for good. Alix reached out to the nonprofit Save the Signs, an organization started by photojournalist Corky Scholl, in an attempt to preserve some of the mid-century relics. “They have all the signage from the original Crazy Horse, and they’re going to let me use them,” Alix says, adding that the “Sid King’s” portion of the signage is currently on display at the Owl Saloon, where it will remain.
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Read the full story here:
https://www.westword.com/restaurants/irish-snug-sid-king-crazy-horse-steven-alix-16612162
Molly Martin is the Westword Food & Drink editor. She’s been writing about the dining scene in Denver since 2013, and was eating her way around the city long before that. She enjoys long walks to the nearest burrito joint and nights spent sipping cocktails on Colfax.
[Thanks to Alex Teitz for contributing this article! http://www.femmusic.com]
[So much for COMBO holdings its meetings there again!]
Photo: Sid King’s bar
https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheSignsOnColfax/
The Colfax Museum has one of its Sid King’s Bar signs on display at the Colorado History Museum display! http://www.colfaxmuseum.com
April 20, 2023| Colorado Music-Related Business| Barb Dye