The Mile High City's Notorious Avenue: East Colfax

Denver, Colorado: August 25-28, 2008


A key component of transcontinental US Highway 40, East Colfax Avenue was the main thoroughfare into urban Denver and suburban Aurora from the east until supplanted by parallel Interstate 70 four decades ago. Once bypassed, this historic avenue declined precipitously, earned a sordid reputation, and fell victim to years of unchecked urban decay. Concerted renewal efforts on East Colfax in recent years have been mildly effective, yet crime lingers and the avenue finds it difficult to shed its rough-and-tumble status. Traces of prostitution, the drug trade, homelessness, vandalism, and theft are blatant enough to grab the attention of the casual observer.

What stands astride the avenue today provides an intriguing dichotomy. Timeless greasy spoon diners and dive bars coexist side by side with their newer haute and trendy counterparts. Generations-old mom-and-pop stores and motels labor on, sometimes under different ownership. Aged neon signs buzz overhead, cast colorful swaths, and hold steadfast as reminders of a halcyon era.

Below, photographic tribute is paid a handful of the iconic East Colfax hold-outs and throwbacks, still catering to the public, much as they have in one way or another for time immemorial.


Complete with cheap beer, sticky floors, dim lighting, timeworn barstool upholstery, and Mexican fare, the Satire Lounge embodies the quintessential East Colfax speakeasy. Address: 1920 East Colfax, Denver.


Reminiscent of a small-town shop and known for its Schwinn affinity, family-owned and operated Collins’ Bicycles has served Denver since 1934. Address: 3217 East Colfax, Denver.


A community institution since 1942 and a popular destination for chow after the bars close, Pete’s Kitchen serves up three squares, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Owner Pete Contos operates four other restaurants on the avenue. Address: 1962 East Colfax, Denver.


Opened as the Thompson in 1913 and renamed the Bluebird in 1922, this landmark theater is a vintage movie house turned popular concert venue. Address: 3317 East Colfax Avenue, Denver.


The Carriage Motor Inn appears to be the typical motel of old, save for one glaring difference: The presence of a high security fence separating the property from the street. Address: 9201 East Colfax, Aurora.