The Argo Grows Up

New Argonaut liquors will be much larger, more upscale than current store

Dan DeCristoforo

Photo courtesy of Young Electric Sign Co.

One of Denver’s most infamous wet-your-whistle stops, Argonaut Wines and Liquors, is about to get a lot bigger and more upscale. The decades-old Capitol Hill favorite will more than double in size from 20,000 to 40,000 sq ft next fall when it opens in its new home directly across the alley from its current location at Colfax and Washington.

Argonaut, known as the “Argo” to its loyal neighborhood clientele, owns both sites, in addition to the Office Depot property on the adjacent block.

Planning and design for the move began in fall 2006. Buchanan Yonushewski Group, a Denver design-build firm responsible for several high-profile projects in the city, is the general contractor, and Hampton Development Co. of Denver is the developer. Excavation began in February, with completion expected before the holiday season gets under way this November.

Post-Prohibition Success

Founded in the 1930s at 16th and Sherman, the “shady” Argonaut Garage went legit after the repeal of Prohibition. Renamed Argonaut Liquors, the operation moved to Colfax and Pearl in the ‘40s and relocated again to its current location in the ‘50s.

Hank Robinson later joined by his father Lewis and brother Jack as half-interest owners purchased the business in 1967. Hank’s nephews, Scott and Jeff, are partners in Hampton Development. The store is currently owned by Hank; Ellen Robinson, Scott’s wife; and Ron Vaughn.

“Our goal is a significantly improved customer experience,” Vaughn says. “There will be kitchen facilities; a climate-controlled room for storing champagne and Bordeaux; and space for hosting themed tastings, classes and other events.”

Total project cost is $8 million, while construction costs are expected to come in at about $4.5 million. Furnishings, point-of-sale equipment, coolers, shelving and signage make up the bulk of the $3.5 million difference.

With 60% more display space and double the cooler space, the new store expects to handle at least 25% more customers, according to the ownership group.

The facility boasts a 10-ft, 6-in.-high basement for storage and future expansion and a sprawling retail floor 13 ft, 4 in. high beneath the mezzanine and soaring to 25 ft elsewhere. The mezzanine includes a tasting room; private, climate-controlled wine storage room and corporate offices. Stairways and an elevator serve all three levels.

Vintage Colfax

Capstones top pilasters at the building’s corners while bricked-in windows echo nearby vintage architecture.

Together with a decorative sign band (strips of “Solomon” and “Cambridge” colored masonry); precast cornices, window headers and sills; and storefront-style windows, the brick and masonry exterior conveys the vision of BYG architects Darren Zethren and Rezan Trananta.

“The design objective was to capture the essence of Colfax without mimicking the vintage look,” Zethren says. “Call it a contemporary interpretation of classic Colfax.”

BYG owner Brad Buchanan sees a return to the roots of historic Colfax, a time when streetcars, pedestrian-friendly amenities and curbside retail ruled. He calls it, “An early version of transit-oriented development.”

Argonaut will provide sleek black awnings along Colfax and the alleyway, double-wide sidewalks, street trees and lighting, new curbs and gutters and parallel parking in front. In addition to on-street parking, Argonaut will retain 120 spaces immediately southwest of the new store under a 25-year lease agreement with nearby St. John’s Cathedral. The area is currently being used for staging and lay-down.

Green Elements

“This will be one of the greenest liquor stores in the world,” says Jeff Robinson. Besides rooftop solar panels for supplemental power and locally sourced, recycled materials, green systems include high-efficiency HVAC, lighting and water fixtures; low-E glazing; high-performance insulation; and nontoxic paints. A security film on the windows that can repel even bricks should prevent “smash-and-dash” thefts.

By design, the windows are bright enough to allow interior lighting to be partially shut off during daylight hours.

The 20-ton and two 5-ton HVAC units being installed by Rocky Mountain Mechanical exceed standard efficiency ratings for commercial buildings by a wide margin. Rocky Mountain is also responsible for the plumbing.

Dig-More Inc. is excavating for the foundation being built by Stryan Structural Systems. Zero lot-line clearance has compelled Stryan to deploy 4,000 sq ft of Shotcrete reinforcing to the excavation walls.

What initially appears to be a spacious location is actually cramped. For one thing, the alley behind the current store needs to remain accessible to vendors and customers, which precludes staging from the alley or installing scaffolding in it to erect the load-bearing masonry walls.
Consequently, Metro-Masonry is obliged to build the brick-and-CMU shell from the inside out. The installation should launch in May, once the main-floor slab has cured.

“The masonry phase will be management intensive from a quality-control standpoint,” says Allen Wood, BYG’s project manager. “Two crews, two foremen, one job manager and a forklift operator will accomplish the task. That ought to wrap up in September, after which, the roof goes up.”

Argonaut is only the second building to be erected under the “Main Street” or “MS-3” zoning approved by the city in 2005. The first was FirstBank at Colfax and Franklin. Among other things, the new zoning provides guidelines for pedestrian-and-transit-friendly retail.

Under MS-3, building heights are restricted to between 30 and 100 ft, with peak height set back at least 20 ft from the street.

Proposed signage for above the front entrance calls for a 15-ft, 4-in. “popping” champagne bottle tilted toward the street and an LED message board. Popping bubbly would be simulated by a fiber-optic array. However, the final design is still under review and may require a variance.

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