Broadway Plaza (Denver)
Encyclopedia
Broadway Plaza, also known as Broadway InterPlaza, located near Broadway and Alameda in Denver, Colorado
, was a retail complex most notable as the only North American location of the French department store Printemps
. The store was open for approximately 16 months before failing, and the building is now a regional office for the medical testing company Quest Diagnostics. The multi-use complex of buildings is now re-purposed under various ownership entities.
The shopping center had a Walgreen Drugs, Miller's Supermarket, and a Joslin's Department Store, which opened on March 21, 1952. North of Merchants Park was a huge warehouse and retailing operation of Montgomery Ward
. The Denver Tramway Company's
South Division Car Barn was located at Broadway and Alaska Pl. near the Montgomery Ward's site, and was the scene of some of the violent events of the Denver Tramway Strike in August 1920.
The shopping center was to have three components: Printemps and the International Collection of boutique stores; the Denver Design Center, and an office building renovated from the Montgomery Ward complex. The shopping center opened in late 1986, and by late 1987, numerous smaller stores were closing in the International Collection, despite being offered free rent before the opening of Printempts.
, which was being rebuilt at that time, might have been a better location for Printemps; this was a common opinion even before Broadway Plaza was built.
of Hill Financial.
. The Montgomery Ward
building was torn down on February 14, 1993, and replaced by a development called Broadway Marketplace, a collection of big-box retailers, such as K-Mart, Office Max, Sam's Club
, and an Albertson's
grocery store. Broadway Marketplace was initially developed by Homart (the real estate development arm of Sears
), along with the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA).
approved a General Development Plan for the Denver Design District, by which D4 Urban LLC will create a large transit-oriented development
in the original Broadway Plaza area and adjacent properties southwest of Broadway and Alameda Ave. The name "Denver Design District" is already in use for the Denver Design Center portion.
is located at the complex, bordering highway I-25. The work was dedicated in July 1995, and belongs to the Denver Art Museum
.
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, was a retail complex most notable as the only North American location of the French department store Printemps
Printemps
Printemps is a French department store .The flagship Printemps store is located on Boulevard Haussmann in the IXe arrondissement of Paris along with other well-known department stores like Galeries Lafayette. There are other Printemps stores in Paris and throughout France...
. The store was open for approximately 16 months before failing, and the building is now a regional office for the medical testing company Quest Diagnostics. The multi-use complex of buildings is now re-purposed under various ownership entities.
Early days
In its earlier days, the land on which the shopping center was built had two incarnations: Beginning in 1922, Merchants Park sports arena, home of the Denver Bears baseball team; and then later Merchants Park Shopping Center, which opened in 1951, with an appearance by Hopalong CassidyHopalong Cassidy
Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of popular short stories and twenty-eight novels based on the character....
The shopping center had a Walgreen Drugs, Miller's Supermarket, and a Joslin's Department Store, which opened on March 21, 1952. North of Merchants Park was a huge warehouse and retailing operation of Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
. The Denver Tramway Company's
Denver Tramway
The Denver Tramway, operating in Denver, Colorado was incorporated in 1886. The tramway was unusual for a number of reasons: the term "tramway" is generally not used in the United States, and it is not known why the company was named as such...
South Division Car Barn was located at Broadway and Alaska Pl. near the Montgomery Ward's site, and was the scene of some of the violent events of the Denver Tramway Strike in August 1920.
Development
Broadway Plaza Shopping Center was the idea of Allan S. Reiver, a Denver real estate developer, who had redeveloped a number of historic buildings in downtown Denver. Influenced by the high-flying 1980s, he envisioned Broadway Plaza as a high-end shopping destination, despite it being built in a working class and industrial neighborhood. Reiver's company Realities, Inc. signed a contract to develop Printemps locations around the United States, the first being at Broadway Plaza. Reiver's partner at Broadway Plaza, former Atlantic Richfield Co CEO Robert O. Anderson, played a major part in convincing Printemps to locate in Denver.. Land for the giant project was purchased in 1984 with financing from Red Hill Savings, a division of Hill Financial of Red Hill, Pa.The shopping center was to have three components: Printemps and the International Collection of boutique stores; the Denver Design Center, and an office building renovated from the Montgomery Ward complex. The shopping center opened in late 1986, and by late 1987, numerous smaller stores were closing in the International Collection, despite being offered free rent before the opening of Printempts.
Printemps
Printemps opened November 6, 1987, and saw much traffic for its beginning months. As business slowed, a double-decker bus was put into operation to shuttle shoppers from downtown. The department store closed in April 1989. Before closing, the owners attempted to sell the Denver franchise itself as well as rights for future stores in the United States. Retailing experts saw the failure of the store as being due to the price point of the merchandise and its location; Cherry Creek Shopping CenterCherry Creek Shopping Center
Cherry Creek Shopping Center, also known as Cherry Creek Mall, is an upscale shopping mall about three and half miles southeast of downtown Denver, Colorado in the Cherry Creek Neighborhood. It is situated along East First Avenue on the banks of Cherry Creek.Cherry Creek Shopping Center is one of...
, which was being rebuilt at that time, might have been a better location for Printemps; this was a common opinion even before Broadway Plaza was built.
Restructuring
In mid-1988, during the decline of Printemps and high vacancies in the project, Reiver lost control of Broadway Plaza and the Printemps store. Hill Financial forced Reiver to sell his interest in the project to a new partnership, Western Equities, which renamed the project Broadway InterPlaza. The investment at Broadway Plaza was one investment that led to the 1980s S&L failureSavings and Loan crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of about 747 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations in the United States...
of Hill Financial.
Today
After the department store closed, the space was used for a short period as an event center, before being occupied by Quest Diagnostics. Part of the International Collection is now used by the culinary arts program of the Art Institute of ColoradoArt Institute of Colorado
The Art Institute of Colorado is a for-profit university whose parent company is owned in part by Goldman Sachs. The current population of the student body is about 2,100 undergraduates.-History:...
. The Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
building was torn down on February 14, 1993, and replaced by a development called Broadway Marketplace, a collection of big-box retailers, such as K-Mart, Office Max, Sam's Club
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members...
, and an Albertson's
Albertsons LLC
Albertsons LLC is a North American grocery company based in Boise, Idaho, with over 240 supermarkets located in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Florida under the Albertson's and Super Saver Foods banners...
grocery store. Broadway Marketplace was initially developed by Homart (the real estate development arm of Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
), along with the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA).
Future
In 2009 the Denver City CouncilDenver City Council
The Denver City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City and County of Denver, Colorado. The council is made up of elected officials from 11 city and county designated districts and two at-large elected members. Although the offices are officially non-partisan, the members are...
approved a General Development Plan for the Denver Design District, by which D4 Urban LLC will create a large transit-oriented development
Transit-oriented development
A transit-oriented development is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership...
in the original Broadway Plaza area and adjacent properties southwest of Broadway and Alameda Ave. The name "Denver Design District" is already in use for the Denver Design Center portion.
Sculpture
A signature sculpture named Articulated Wall by artist Herbert BayerHerbert Bayer
Herbert Bayer was an Austrian American graphic designer, painter, photographer, sculptor, art director, environmental & interior designer, and architect, who was widely recognized as the last living member of the Bauhaus and was instrumental in the development of the Atlantic Richfield Company's...
is located at the complex, bordering highway I-25. The work was dedicated in July 1995, and belongs to the Denver Art Museum
Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum is an art museum in Denver, Colorado located in Denver's Civic Center.It is known for its collection of American Indian art,and has a comprehensive collection numbering more than 68,000 works from across the world....
.