You may have read recently that the old Armory building on East Mountain Avenue is being refurbished again. This time, says owner Paul Jenson, he wants to return it to its 1907 roots as a public event hall.
Last week, one of the contractors on the project, Jeff Down, took me on a tour of the building:
Here’s the front of the building (above). Those who take historic surveys would have you note the crenelated roof line, which gives it a fortress-like appearance appropriate for National Guard Armory.
They would also tell you the architect was a Mr. Garbutt. And when you get over that, they would tell you that Garbutt (stop it) also designed the Commercial Bank and Trust (which would later become The Vault–that bar on North College with the safe still in it).
But let’s go inside the Armory…
When Jensen says he wants to return the hall to its public use roots, he means banquets, weddings. Probably dances and concerts.
I do not think he means boxing and roller skating. That’s how our predecessors used the space. Before it became a laundry. Look at that floor!
Now look up.
Now go to the balcony and look down. Jeff’s company (Down Zankey) built this staircase to the basement when Jensen first moved in. Jensen had his OneTribe Creative here for the past several years. That’s why the newer details are all so hip and cool. I mean, thick-rimmed glasses neoMadMen I-wish-I-were-that-cosmopolitan, black-haired cool.
Here’s the back room. Jeff’s biggest concern that day was getting enough air into the hall for a crowd to breath adequately. He’ll do that by pumping it in through the roof back here.
Cool details in the basement include old stone work and wavy bricks. Originally, National Guard practiced target shooting down here.
And apparently they kept the livestock here as well. Jeff says these are the original livery doors. Down Zankey moved them to complete a stone conference room in the basement.
The hall is available for rent starting in March. This couple was here exploring the space for an April wedding.
Credit
You can read more about it in the Coloradoan article (for as long as the paper keeps the article available).
You can call Amy or Paul to talk about booking the Armory Event Hall at 223-4012.
You can have Down Zankey put more air or light in your house, build you a bitchen industrial staircase, or fix up just about anything else construction related by contacting them through their web site at: http://www.downzankey.com.
As for me, I’m still leaving, and I’m still waiting to meet with Lost Fort Collins new guy to hand it all off. Very soon…
I have had SUCH a hard time keeping this quiet– I didn’t want to say anything until it was done. But for several weeks the Armstrong Hotel has been preparing a nice souvenir map of the neighborhood markets that the Lost Fort Collins blog wrote about last year.
