DENVER, Colo. — The Nob Hill Inn, one of Denver’s most storied dive bars, has seen it all.
The East Colfax bar has drawn a colorful cast of characters over the decades — regulars, wanderers, and, by some accounts, even some legends.
“It could be truth, could be rumor that Bob Dylan wandered in here one time, and sat at a booth,” said bartender Gabriel Ortega.
From Bob Dylan to Jack Kerouac to resident bark-back Slinky — the Nob Hill Inn’s wood-paneled walls hold nearly a century’s worth of stories.
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But the latest chapter in this Denver dive bar tale could be the last.
The Nob Hill Inn is set to close permanently at the end of September. Staff say Bus Rapid Transit construction has drained walk-in traffic, rideshare access, and revenue.
“We used to have a lot of walk-in traffic, and then with the BRT going on, it’s kind of hard right now for people to want to navigate that,” Ortega said.
The Nob Hill Inn has been in owner John Plessinger’s family since the 1960s.
Denver7 last caught up with Plessinger in 2020 as the community rallied to keep the bar afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This time, though, it’s different.
Christy, the bar’s longtime manager, said the closure is coming as Plessinger prepares to retire. She said the bar needs major repairs, but revenue losses have made that difficult. She also said the bar did not qualify for the city’s Business Impact Opportunity (BIO) Fund, a grant designed to help businesses survive BRT construction impacts.
When the bar first applied for BIO funds, it did not meet the threshold of a 20% or greater revenue decline.
As Denver7 has previously reported, the grant program is open to businesses in certain parts of the construction area.
Now that construction on the project has progressed further east, the Nob Hill Inn is no longer eligible to apply.
The FAX Partnership, which works with the city on those grants, said it tries to connect businesses with other available resources when they don’t qualify.
“We try and point them in the direction of what other programs are readily available that we are aware of,” John Feld, Manager of Communications and Special Projects for The FAX Partnership, said.
Feld added a potential historic designation could also open up funding options, which Christy said she is considering as she mulls over the possibility of taking over the bar’s ownership.
The Nob Hill Inn
As the bar’s future remains uncertain, Ortega said he hasn’t given up hope.
“I think we can maintain as long as everyone’s willing to put their hands in,” Ortega said.
The Nob Hill Inn plans to host a community forum on Saturday, September 5 to gather community input.
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