Reframed
Nathan Beal | La Vista Motel
Nathan Beal and his partners in preservation looked past the so-called “stucco monster” façade of the run-down La Vista Motel and saw the opportunity to restore a piece of Colfax Avenue’s history. In this conversation with Colorado’s State Historic Preservation Officer, Dawn DiPrince, Nathan shares the story of acquiring the property in 2022 and restoring it as a charming motor lodge. He discusses collaborating with a talented designer to recapture the spirit of mid-century road travel, as well as the unexpected challenge of inheriting outdated online reviews. Nathan reflects on the neighborhood’s enthusiastic response to the motel’s reopening and the role thoughtful preservation can play in bringing new life to historic places.
Nathan Beal - La Vista.txt
00:00:01:01 - 00:00:24:10
Unknown
Welcome to another edition of Reframed: Preservation for a new Day, where beloved old spaces are reimagined. We take a deep dive into the preservation of an amazing historic space. What did it used to be? What is it now? And how did it happen? It's adaptive reuse and heritage for all. Brought to you by History Colorado and hosted by me.
00:00:24:14 - 00:00:33:07
Unknown
Dawn Diprince, Colorado State Historic preservation officer.
00:00:33:09 - 00:00:44:23
Unknown
So today I'm sitting here with Nathan Beale, and he has this very exciting, restoration project with the La Vista motel on Colfax, our beloved,
00:00:44:23 - 00:00:45:18
Unknown
Colfax,
00:00:45:20 - 00:00:47:21
Unknown
wickedest and longest,
00:00:47:21 - 00:00:49:20
Unknown
highway in America.
00:00:49:22 - 00:00:50:08
Unknown
That's right.
00:00:50:13 - 00:00:54:21
Unknown
Yes. And known, of course, for its fantastic motels.
00:00:55:03 - 00:00:56:01
Unknown
So what?
00:00:56:03 - 00:01:02:22
Unknown
Besides living, near the motel, like, what got you excited about this project, Nathan?
00:01:03:00 - 00:01:09:19
Unknown
You know, we've done projects around Denver and, when we first moved to town, we lived right off of Colfax.
00:01:09:21 - 00:01:16:01
Unknown
That was back in 2004. So ever since then, we've always felt a connection to Colfax.
00:01:16:02 - 00:01:17:03
Unknown
And,
00:01:17:05 - 00:01:29:20
Unknown
timing was right. We were able to, you know, identify the La Vista and, you know, purchase it in 2022 and just really were interested in saving this era of building. And like the fact that it,
00:01:29:23 - 00:01:31:20
Unknown
kind of told the story of Colfax,
00:01:32:02 - 00:01:38:23
Unknown
and, period of significance when the motor travel was at its heyday, kind of coming through town on Colfax.
00:01:39:01 - 00:01:40:16
Unknown
Yeah. I feel like,
00:01:40:16 - 00:01:49:17
Unknown
you're living my dream here because I really love motels on Colfax. And, yeah, there are a lot that need love.
00:01:49:19 - 00:01:57:02
Unknown
Yeah, a lot of motels that need some love. Yep some TLC opportunities out there. Not just the La Vista. Yeah, it's not just the La Vista.
00:01:57:02 - 00:02:00:22
Unknown
So what was it about the La Vista in particular that,
00:02:01:00 - 00:02:05:20
Unknown
made you know, you're the restoration project possible for you?
00:02:06:01 - 00:02:06:20
Unknown
You know, one of the,
00:02:06:20 - 00:02:18:17
Unknown
most compelling things for us with the La Vista is its location. It's kind of situated, I think an ideal section of Colfax Park Hill on one side, Mayfair on the other. Still close to town.
00:02:18:21 - 00:02:21:04
Unknown
And then we also knew that it was going to be right.
00:02:21:04 - 00:02:24:09
Unknown
Adjacent to one of the new BRT bus stops, too.
00:02:24:10 - 00:02:25:18
Unknown
So it was also another,
00:02:25:22 - 00:02:29:18
Unknown
kind of driver and yeah, making the La Vista just a good fit for us.
00:02:29:19 - 00:02:31:18
Unknown
BRT is the bus rapid transit
00:02:31:20 - 00:02:38:06
Unknown
The bus rapid transit, which, yeah, I'm excited for. And, you know, that's there's a lot of pain right now, but,
00:02:38:09 - 00:02:44:18
Unknown
yeah, just hopeful that it's going to be worth it. And yeah, really going to transform Colfax in a positive way.
00:02:44:20 - 00:02:58:11
Unknown
So paint a picture for us. Because if people are not familiar with the LA Vista motel, I think people may not understand the extreme transformation that this motel has undergone.
00:02:58:15 - 00:03:02:03
Unknown
The before pictures are pretty extreme.
00:03:02:06 - 00:03:03:16
Unknown
You know, this was,
00:03:03:18 - 00:03:05:07
Unknown
pretty serious.
00:03:05:10 - 00:03:09:15
Unknown
State of affairs. And, you know, now it's this fantastic,
00:03:09:15 - 00:03:10:17
Unknown
motel.
00:03:10:19 - 00:03:14:23
Unknown
But I think people are not going to believe if they had not seen the before,
00:03:15:02 - 00:03:19:01
Unknown
state. So can you tell us what that before state was like?
00:03:19:07 - 00:03:19:18
Unknown
Yeah.
00:03:19:18 - 00:03:28:12
Unknown
So I purchased it in 2022. And at that point, the city had already shut it down. It was shut down. And 2020 and 2021 timeframe,
00:03:28:14 - 00:03:33:07
Unknown
for a nuisance property because of illicit activities that were happening there.
00:03:33:13 - 00:03:40:20
Unknown
So it'd been, you know, shut down there, you know, various people living in it, maybe with permission, maybe without.
00:03:40:22 - 00:03:49:21
Unknown
But it had, you know, the exterior had been covered in a lot of stucco. So a lot of the original detailing was hidden.
00:03:49:23 - 00:04:07:20
Unknown
But, you know, all the rooms were in a state of disrepair, broken plumbing, broken electric, missing lights, windows that have been boarded up, sections of the motel that have been completely boarded up and shut down and used for storage for, you know, ten, ten, 20 plus years.
00:04:07:22 - 00:04:14:03
Unknown
So it was, it was rough. Yeah. It was pretty far gone. It was pretty far gone. Yeah. Unfortunately,
00:04:14:05 - 00:04:27:23
Unknown
though, the front windows where the lobby space had been removed and boarded up. So, yeah, it wasn't. It didn't look anything like it looks now. But you could still see the, you know, the, the charm hidden underneath the
00:04:28:01 - 00:04:30:05
Unknown
the stucco on some of the boarded up elements?
00:04:30:06 - 00:04:30:20
Unknown
Yes.
00:04:30:22 - 00:04:33:16
Unknown
So you know, during the pandemic,
00:04:33:20 - 00:04:41:05
Unknown
I lived not very far from the La Vista motel and, you know, we would go on these long pandemic walks
00:04:41:09 - 00:04:41:15
Unknown
Okay.
00:04:41:18 - 00:04:46:02
Unknown
and I walked by this motel, like, probably several times a day.
00:04:46:04 - 00:04:46:20
Unknown
So I was very
00:04:46:22 - 00:04:48:04
Unknown
familiar with that
00:04:48:04 - 00:04:48:22
Unknown
2020
00:04:49:00 - 00:04:49:12
Unknown
state of
00:04:49:16 - 00:04:50:02
Unknown
affairs
00:04:50:03 - 00:04:50:13
Unknown
Okay.
00:04:50:17 - 00:05:01:05
Unknown
that the motel was in. And, you know, you could see it even changing in that time, you know, where it went from worse to even even worse and even worse than that.
00:05:01:08 - 00:05:06:00
Unknown
It it was part of almost like there's, like meditation of my pandemic times.
00:05:06:03 - 00:05:20:15
Unknown
So it was, was really great news that I welcomed seeing that somebody purchased it and that I could imagine that something lovely, lived underneath all of that.
00:05:20:16 - 00:05:26:07
Unknown
But, you know, when I first heard about this project was when it came to our team,
00:05:26:07 - 00:05:28:06
Unknown
to get listed on the national,
00:05:28:09 - 00:05:30:03
Unknown
Register of Historic Places.
00:05:30:09 - 00:05:38:00
Unknown
That I remember, the city was maybe, you know, wondering if it didn't quite have the integrity to,
00:05:38:02 - 00:05:41:09
Unknown
to make it, to that list. Do you remember that?
00:05:41:11 - 00:06:06:23
Unknown
I do, yeah. Yeah. Well, I think, you know, if you like looking at it from the outside, and I really, you know, seeing the some of the details I would question it as well because it, it looked like it was built in the early 90s, late 80s and as a stuccoed motor lodge. So, but yeah, once we bought it, we were able to kind of poke around a little bit and see some of the original detailing underneath.
00:06:07:01 - 00:06:11:19
Unknown
And you encouraged us to believe that there was something under what you quoted, the stucco monster.
00:06:11:22 - 00:06:18:23
Unknown
But you know, part, part of what I'm always so intrigued by, I have like a wild imagination. So I kind of get it, but,
00:06:19:01 - 00:06:24:14
Unknown
you know, developers like, you have a wild imagination that then you put your money behind.
00:06:24:16 - 00:06:35:23
Unknown
So here you see this very, you know, dilapidated building that maybe even the city is like, I don't know, guys, I don't know.
00:06:36:00 - 00:06:36:14
Unknown
But
00:06:36:16 - 00:06:38:14
Unknown
you are still able to see
00:06:38:15 - 00:06:51:08
Unknown
some promise behind this building, and now everybody is, like, high fiving around it, but. But you and your team were able to see, you know, that gem underneath all of this?
00:06:51:10 - 00:06:52:06
Unknown
You know, several
00:06:52:06 - 00:06:54:10
Unknown
years ago, it seemed like a
00:06:54:10 - 00:07:00:07
Unknown
pile of rubble? So what is that? You know, what is that ability to see through all of
00:07:00:10 - 00:07:23:21
Unknown
I think with this one, with this project in particular, this was the trouble property on that section of streets. In that regard, it was easy. Like, you buy the worst property that's driving down property values and, you know, making people not want to visit the area and do something different. And, you know, it's it's an easy win right there to do that.
00:07:23:23 - 00:07:44:01
Unknown
And then construction wise, I've done, you know, a lot of rehabs and older buildings that have been in far worse condition than the La Vista. So I was confident that, you know, once I saw there was some original detail in there that we could bring it back to, to what it used to look like. And fortunately, being a motel, there was,
00:07:44:04 - 00:07:44:21
Unknown
some precedent
00:07:44:23 - 00:07:49:22
Unknown
imagery of the motel that we could, you know, work from and really see what used to be there.
00:07:50:00 - 00:07:50:13
Unknown
Yeah.
00:07:50:15 - 00:07:54:15
Unknown
yes. You could see like, underneath all of that stucco.
00:07:54:17 - 00:07:59:06
Unknown
That really like look at this photo back from the original days
00:07:59:08 - 00:08:02:06
Unknown
like this has got to exist somewhere underneath all of that.
00:08:02:06 - 00:08:14:10
Unknown
Yeah. Exactly. We found this great postcard from 1960. And you know, it showed even showed Colfax with, you know, mature trees along it, which it's going to it's going to have again with the BRT project.
00:08:14:12 - 00:08:27:17
Unknown
So it was a great image to, you know, kind of work from and, yeah, kind of that was, that was our guiding light throughout our, our project is to kind of bring it back to what it used to look like when it was a
00:08:27:18 - 00:08:29:16
Unknown
thriving member of the community.
00:08:29:18 - 00:08:31:21
Unknown
Yeah. Yes. And now it is again.
00:08:31:21 - 00:08:33:13
Unknown
Now it is again, Yeah. Yep.
00:08:33:15 - 00:08:34:13
Unknown
Yeah. So,
00:08:34:13 - 00:08:40:00
Unknown
you wanted it on the National Register? I'm assuming to get preservation tax credits.
00:08:40:00 - 00:08:41:14
Unknown
Yep. That was a big component of it.
00:08:41:19 - 00:08:44:12
Unknown
So that was part of your financial stack?
00:08:44:14 - 00:08:49:08
Unknown
Yeah. What were all of the ways in which you worked to create,
00:08:49:10 - 00:08:52:01
Unknown
the financial ability to pull this project off,
00:08:52:04 - 00:09:10:19
Unknown
You know, for for us, it's just it's just me running, running the show. So we keep it pretty simple. You know, my my wife helps out as well, but, we're we're small, so we kind of take it take it project by project. So we don't have outside investors or anything like that. So we were able to kind of keep it pretty simple and,
00:09:10:21 - 00:09:23:18
Unknown
yeah, the tax credit was just like a needed component, to make it work, especially with, you know, this being an unknown endeavor for me in the hospitality space, too, that really gave me, you know, some.
00:09:23:20 - 00:09:30:21
Unknown
Yeah, some foundation to, like, give me some breathing room. To really get this thing off the ground and, and make it work.
00:09:30:23 - 00:09:34:05
Unknown
But it's not your first, preservation project.
00:09:34:07 - 00:09:47:05
Unknown
It's not my first. Like, preservation project. It’s my first official preservation project. I should say like, none of my other projects have been listed. Everything else is just been done, you know, through the local landmark commission.
00:09:47:10 - 00:09:50:10
Unknown
So your first time working through the preservation tax credits.
00:09:50:10 - 00:09:50:23
Unknown
It is.
00:09:51:01 - 00:09:51:16
Unknown
Yeah.
00:09:51:18 - 00:09:52:14
Unknown
Yeah.
00:09:52:16 - 00:09:53:10
Unknown
That's exciting.
00:09:53:12 - 00:09:54:10
Unknown
It was it was,
00:09:54:12 - 00:09:56:21
Unknown
What made you decide to take that leap?
00:09:56:23 - 00:10:08:01
Unknown
You know, I think just the scale of the project for us and, you know, the fact that it is kind of an unknown business opportunity for us and, and, you know, the state of the motel as well.
00:10:08:02 - 00:10:16:23
Unknown
It really, you know, kind of solved a lot of these unknown issues for us and created a cushion for us to, you know, make this work.
00:10:17:01 - 00:10:25:23
Unknown
Yeah. So paint a picture for us now of what the motel is like. Like, how many rooms? What are. You know, there's a coffee shop all of that.
00:10:25:23 - 00:10:26:11
Unknown
Yeah, a
00:10:26:14 - 00:10:28:14
Unknown
Give us the total business package.
00:10:28:14 - 00:10:32:16
Unknown
Yeah, right now it's, you know, completely obviously restored,
00:10:32:18 - 00:10:33:08
Unknown
to,
00:10:33:10 - 00:10:37:01
Unknown
kind of a hip 1960s vibe space.
00:10:37:03 - 00:10:52:18
Unknown
And it's 23 rooms. We have two suites. We have four, double rooms. We have a family bunk room. But all the rooms are brand new custom wood furniture that kind of matches a period. And each room, large scale,
00:10:52:22 - 00:10:58:18
Unknown
kind of murals above the beds, that kind of harken back to the, in the road travel or out west.
00:10:58:18 - 00:11:00:22
Unknown
So there are a lot of Western landscapes
00:11:01:01 - 00:11:03:03
Unknown
in each room and each room's a little bit different.
00:11:03:09 - 00:11:07:11
Unknown
And we also work with some local artist, to furnish some of the rooms.
00:11:07:16 - 00:11:18:05
Unknown
Emma Friday, she did some murals. She did some custom maps for us that are in the rooms. Nicoletta Kepada, she did some some of the art for us to decorate the rooms.
00:11:18:07 - 00:11:24:18
Unknown
So they have a fun, like, cool vibe in them. Some antiques, mostly new, but just like a really nice,
00:11:24:20 - 00:11:41:12
Unknown
refresh. And then in the, the old lobby space of the motel that's a separate branded company called El Piñon, and that's, starts the morning at 7 a.m. as a specialty coffee shop and then transitions throughout the day into a,
00:11:41:18 - 00:11:43:02
Unknown
craft cocktail bar.
00:11:43:08 - 00:11:50:04
Unknown
Where we use a lot of local spirits. Just really interesting, you know, cocktails that kind of play on,
00:11:50:07 - 00:11:55:23
Unknown
1960s classic cocktail vibe. We dabble in a little bit of the tiki,
00:11:56:01 - 00:12:03:16
Unknown
culture back in the day with our. We have a rum punch that we, rotate seasonally. So we try to have fun with that.
00:12:03:18 - 00:12:16:01
Unknown
And then in the basement of El Piñon it's a I would describe it as like an, you know, the 70s show kind of showed up in the basement. So it's wood paneled walls, vintage furniture,
00:12:16:06 - 00:12:23:17
Unknown
kind of, a loungey, really cool hangout space. So, people have a lot of fun with that space.
00:12:23:23 - 00:12:27:03
Unknown
lot of the neighbors have come in and, reserve that for,
00:12:27:05 - 00:12:32:01
Unknown
board games with their neighbors, meetings, family gatherings.
00:12:32:06 - 00:12:33:02
Unknown
We also have,
00:12:33:07 - 00:12:50:20
Unknown
DJs on Saturdays that spin vinyl down there. So it's been really fun and successful. And then starting in March, we'll have a, comedy night on Monday night. So we'll have an open mic night. Oh, wow. Yeah. So we we're trying to make it fun. And grandma's basement seems to be where the fun is happening.
00:12:50:22 - 00:12:52:03
Unknown
That's great.
00:12:52:04 - 00:12:59:02
Unknown
Yeah. So it's like you've got this hotel business, but then you're also serving the local neighborhood. It seems
00:12:59:02 - 00:13:11:14
Unknown
Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. We've really been embraced by the community. They were really excited to see this project open up. So we have a lot of neighbors are coming by to put up, you know, their relatives or guests that are coming through town.
00:13:11:18 - 00:13:23:07
Unknown
Friends are coming into town. And then they, you know, utilize the El Piñon space, to grab coffee or meet with friends over some cocktails. It's it's been really great to
00:13:23:09 - 00:13:36:04
Unknown
to meet the neighbors and hear their stories of their experience with La Vista over the years. And, you know, most, most people, it's their first time ever setting foot there, even though they've lived, you know, across the street for 30 years.
00:13:36:06 - 00:13:37:10
Unknown
They haven't felt safe.
00:13:37:12 - 00:13:39:15
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah that's great.
00:13:39:17 - 00:13:47:07
Unknown
Yeah. So what. Earlier you had said that this was kind of like the weakest link in that, you know, section of Colfax.
00:13:47:12 - 00:13:48:04
Unknown
What
00:13:48:04 - 00:13:55:00
Unknown
have you seen by transforming this space. What has that meant for the rest of the, area?
00:13:55:02 - 00:13:57:23
Unknown
You know, it's been great. We have some new neighbors.
00:13:58:02 - 00:14:04:16
Unknown
Larry with the Catfish King next door recently opened up. So he's he's killing it over there doing a great job.
00:14:04:18 - 00:14:05:17
Unknown
The old Popeye's,
00:14:05:18 - 00:14:10:06
Unknown
right? The Old Popeyes. Yeah, yeah, it's another good. Yeah. Yeah. It's great.
00:14:10:09 - 00:14:24:10
Unknown
Yeah. And he has some jazz music there on the weekends too, so it's it's, it's a fun little corner now. So hopefully it just continues to, to improve, especially once the bus station opens up and some of the construction, you know, moves along.
00:14:24:10 - 00:14:30:22
Unknown
And I think it's really going to. Yeah, hopefully we're kind of lost for for growth over there. Yeah. It becomes contagious.
00:14:31:01 - 00:14:33:09
Unknown
Yes. Yeah. And you know
00:14:33:11 - 00:14:44:23
Unknown
what is the difference in you think preserving a place like La Vista versus just scraping that site and building something new.
00:14:45:01 - 00:14:52:14
Unknown
I'm a sucker for old buildings and history. So you know that was really never in the works for me to scrape it.
00:14:52:16 - 00:14:58:05
Unknown
But it's just it's just really gratifying to talk to people that have that have,
00:14:58:10 - 00:15:14:04
Unknown
lived in the neighborhood and, you know, some of the neighbors more recently didn't want to go there, but there's some people that they use the motel in the 60s during its heyday. Okay. Yeah. This, one gentleman stopped by and said he spent his
00:15:14:06 - 00:15:15:02
Unknown
honeymoon night.
00:15:15:03 - 00:15:19:03
Unknown
Oh my gosh. He’s from Pueblo, they drove off and got married at the court,
00:15:19:05 - 00:15:30:17
Unknown
and and they but he never they were looking for their entire marriage for this motel again. And they couldn't find it. But I think now that it it was restored, all the stucco removed, he recognized. And
00:15:30:19 - 00:15:32:21
Unknown
so he came in and I was able to show him,
00:15:32:21 - 00:15:34:20
Unknown
his honeymoon suite.
00:15:34:22 - 00:15:40:08
Unknown
So that was it was really cool. Yeah. Yeah. And then we have another regular,
00:15:40:11 - 00:15:56:04
Unknown
comes in, and then he went to East High School, and he said, back in the 60s, they used to have these parties in the basement. There. So, like the his high school buds would go and they'd get a keg of beer and bring it down the basement.
00:15:56:06 - 00:15:59:16
Unknown
So it's, But now he stops in once a week, and it's,
00:15:59:20 - 00:16:14:18
Unknown
It's great. It's like a reminiscence. Yeah. He actually hosted a family get together on Christmas with his his kids that live out of state, they did a little family get together in the basement. Oh, wow. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. So it's it's cool to, you know, hear those kind of stories.
00:16:15:00 - 00:16:17:04
Unknown
Yeah. Because when did you reopen?
00:16:17:06 - 00:16:20:19
Unknown
In December. So, yeah, this is like instant. Yeah.
00:16:21:01 - 00:16:26:07
Unknown
I mean, this is just a few months and you already have this, like, instant, connection with folks.
00:16:26:07 - 00:16:27:13
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah, it's been great.
00:16:27:18 - 00:16:30:07
Unknown
Yeah. I mean, are you surprised by that?
00:16:30:09 - 00:16:38:20
Unknown
You know, a little bit. Yeah. It's it's it has been a little surprising that people are kind of seeking the La Vista out because they have a a story.
00:16:38:22 - 00:16:49:03
Unknown
And they've maybe you've seen on the local news and then there's a couple of little stories floating around out there. But yeah, they take the time to come out and, and experience it. And it's been it's been great.
00:16:49:08 - 00:16:50:23
Unknown
Yeah. People were waiting for you.
00:16:51:01 - 00:16:53:01
Unknown
I think so, yeah. I,
00:16:53:03 - 00:17:00:07
Unknown
I'm, curious about just the idea of, like, the boutique hotel industry.
00:17:00:07 - 00:17:04:07
Unknown
I mean, that's essentially, you know, what, these motel,
00:17:04:07 - 00:17:05:18
Unknown
like, this kind of,
00:17:05:20 - 00:17:11:00
Unknown
I don't know the right word for it, but the is like bringing back the motel scene.
00:17:11:02 - 00:17:16:09
Unknown
It feels like an entry into the boutique motel industry.
00:17:16:11 - 00:17:22:10
Unknown
And that there's, like, a resurgence or an interest in in that. Is that some of what you're going for?
00:17:22:10 - 00:17:37:22
Unknown
It is. Yeah. That was definitely our when we you know decided to to go forward with this project. We studied other cities kind of Austin and Nashville, you know Phoenix. They've had these similar style motels
00:17:38:00 - 00:17:41:16
Unknown
redone and transformed into little, little boutique motels.
00:17:41:18 - 00:17:42:04
Unknown
So
00:17:42:08 - 00:17:44:11
Unknown
and there's like a particular audience, folks
00:17:44:13 - 00:17:46:05
Unknown
speaking. Yeah, I think so.
00:17:46:09 - 00:18:09:13
Unknown
with my other development projects you develop for a certain clientele and that clientele is oftentimes everybody, and it's much different. So it's been it's been cool to see we have gotten a lot of travelers that are seeking that kind of, boutique experience. But we have a lot of, like, just neighbors that just they just need a place, you know, a motel or a hotel to, to put up their friends and family.
00:18:09:13 - 00:18:17:00
Unknown
And we just have them be close and nice. And so, so I feel like we're filling a lot, a lot of, voids there.
00:18:17:01 - 00:18:17:13
Unknown
Yeah.
00:18:17:15 - 00:18:29:01
Unknown
What kinds of, challenges? I mean, we've heard all the, like, very, like, happy parts of the story, which I think I'm delighted to hear. What kinds of challenges maybe did you face,
00:18:29:04 - 00:18:32:23
Unknown
besides just the overall state of the structure?
00:18:33:01 - 00:18:47:06
Unknown
Yeah. I mean, you know, we there's always construction challenges. Yeah. So, you know, the the motel unfortunately had a lot of asbestos in it. So it was a pretty big that was part of our budget. Yeah, that was the era of heavy asbestos use.
00:18:47:08 - 00:18:48:21
Unknown
that that took a bit of time just
00:18:48:23 - 00:18:52:03
Unknown
remediating everything. It was, you know, on most of the walls and ceilings.
00:18:52:03 - 00:18:55:12
Unknown
So, that was quite time consuming and costly.
00:18:55:14 - 00:19:08:11
Unknown
And then, yeah, probably the one thing that tripped me up that I wasn't prepared for is the old, Google reviews related to the. Oh, the motel. Google would not remove those.
00:19:08:16 - 00:19:09:21
Unknown
I was surprised. So,
00:19:10:02 - 00:19:14:22
Unknown
were we started off. I felt like, you know, behind the behind the curve here
00:19:15:02 - 00:19:30:14
Unknown
trying, you know, with these old ratings, which are not good. Yes. So we've been really working hard, you know, personally, reviews, so people can find that and they realize, oh, it's a it's a different, different space and completely different building.
00:19:30:16 - 00:19:33:07
Unknown
Completely different space, different company. Yeah.
00:19:33:09 - 00:19:36:19
Unknown
So that was probably that one big surprise for me.
00:19:36:19 - 00:19:42:06
Unknown
I wasn't expecting to have to, you know, absorb these, you know, reviews from a different company.
00:19:42:07 - 00:19:43:09
Unknown
Yeah. Wow.
00:19:43:11 - 00:19:43:17
Unknown
Yeah.
00:19:43:21 - 00:19:50:10
Unknown
Because even if you went and you commented on all of those, you know, it still wouldn't change the, like, star
00:19:50:12 - 00:19:51:13
Unknown
Correct. Yeah.
00:19:51:13 - 00:19:58:11
Unknown
Yeah. We were still stuck with an old star rating. We started at two three and now we are up to like a three seven now.
00:19:58:12 - 00:20:02:08
Unknown
So so we're making progress. Oh, wow. Yeah. Who
00:20:02:08 - 00:20:04:21
Unknown
would have ever thought that that would be an issue?
00:20:05:03 - 00:20:07:01
Unknown
I wonder if you changed the name at
00:20:07:01 - 00:20:19:20
Unknown
that. We did? Yeah, we changed it slightly. Yeah. But I think it's part of this. We wanted to keep it the La Vista Motel right? Yeah, exactly. And keep the story. So. Yeah, I mean, it is a different legal entity that that owns it
00:20:19:21 - 00:20:24:16
Unknown
We changed the business name slightly, but it's still the La Vista motel and,
00:20:24:20 - 00:20:28:00
Unknown
Yeah. So that was the one big challenge
00:20:28:00 - 00:20:29:23
Unknown
that we were prepared for.
00:20:30:01 - 00:20:31:06
Unknown
Wow. Yes.
00:20:31:08 - 00:20:39:01
Unknown
What kinds of other lessons learned would you. I mean that is a good lessons learned for anyone taking on a motel project.
00:20:39:01 - 00:20:40:06
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah.
00:20:40:08 - 00:20:46:23
Unknown
What other lessons learned might you share with somebody that might be looking at getting into a project like this?
00:20:47:01 - 00:20:54:15
Unknown
Yeah. Just have a good designer. I've been really heavily on, Melissa Friday who helped us with the interior design
00:20:54:17 - 00:21:01:06
Unknown
ya the interior design is spectacular on this project.. Yeah, she did a great job. And she sound great stuff throughout Denver as
00:21:01:06 - 00:21:04:23
Unknown
well. She helped kind of launch Snooze restaurants.
00:21:05:04 - 00:21:07:01
Unknown
Oh yeah. Yeah. So it's got that vibe for sure
00:21:07:05 - 00:21:08:10
Unknown
It's got that vibe. Yeah.
00:21:08:16 - 00:21:15:02
Unknown
Yeah. So yeah. No, she did a great job and she was instrumental in kind of making sure everything fit together.
00:21:15:04 - 00:21:19:02
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah. It feels like it sort of hums, I guess
00:21:19:04 - 00:21:27:23
Unknown
And it feels not exactly like it's a caricature like it's not a caricature of its original. It feels still modern,
00:21:28:01 - 00:21:29:10
Unknown
but that it's like a nod
00:21:29:13 - 00:21:30:11
Unknown
towards the original.
00:21:30:14 - 00:21:34:01
Unknown
Right. Yeah. Yeah I think she does a nice job kind of balancing.
00:21:34:06 - 00:21:42:11
Unknown
A nod to the past, but it's still a nice new, you know, it's a new modern space. Exactly. So, you know, cute little refrigerator?
00:21:42:12 - 00:21:50:08
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah. The cute little retro fridges in all the rooms. Exactly. Yeah. And our bathrooms are heavily tiled but in like, an appropriate,
00:21:50:10 - 00:21:54:18
Unknown
you know, size tile for that period, but just used in a fun way.
00:21:54:20 - 00:22:00:23
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah. So it doesn't look like some gritty you know 1960s
00:22:01:01 - 00:22:07:17
Unknown
right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Everything's nice and clean and fresh. But yeah it's just that, that nod to the past. Yeah. Exactly.
00:22:07:20 - 00:22:14:00
Unknown
Yeah. Good lessons learned. Others that you want to share with the future. You know, dreamy
00:22:14:00 - 00:22:15:10
Unknown
people like me that are like,
00:22:15:10 - 00:22:16:18
Unknown
someday I'll be renovating hotels on Colfax
00:22:16:22 - 00:22:19:13
Unknown
Yeah. Just expect things that cost way more than you think they
00:22:19:13 - 00:22:24:12
Unknown
will. Yes. There's always there's always, that's that's that's a that's always a challenge.
00:22:24:14 - 00:22:29:13
Unknown
Yeah. But I feel like on all projects that's the constant. Those things take a little bit longer or
00:22:29:16 - 00:22:31:10
Unknown
cost more than you expect them to.
00:22:31:12 - 00:22:35:01
Unknown
Yeah. Well I'm always so intrigued by
00:22:35:06 - 00:22:40:04
Unknown
people like you and your helper, spouse there that,
00:22:40:09 - 00:22:42:04
Unknown
can take on a project like this.
00:22:42:04 - 00:22:44:05
Unknown
That seems like pretty daunting.
00:22:44:10 - 00:23:05:10
Unknown
And that. Yeah. Like. Yes. You take the, you know, help of something like the preservation tax credit, but really, you're, you know, just taking this imagination that you have of what is possible and really what could be done on a corner like this corner in Colfax,
00:23:05:12 - 00:23:09:14
Unknown
and transform not just that corner, but that whole area.
00:23:09:16 - 00:23:11:02
Unknown
It's very inspiring.
00:23:11:08 - 00:23:23:04
Unknown
You know, it speaks to the power of preservation, but preservation is possible when community members like you, really take a step forward and take on the challenge, I guess.
00:23:23:08 - 00:23:29:04
Unknown
So any words of wisdom that you would any encouraging words for,
00:23:29:05 - 00:23:30:06
Unknown
for those that
00:23:30:07 - 00:23:32:13
Unknown
Well, you know, I think it all started with,
00:23:32:14 - 00:23:35:10
Unknown
you know, history, Colorado, reaching out to you guys.
00:23:35:10 - 00:23:45:04
Unknown
And you were very supportive initially for, you know, for this project to kind of to go through and, yeah, work on these tax credits. It was it's nice to have,
00:23:45:04 - 00:23:56:00
Unknown
you guys kind of as the champion in the background, kind of throughout the whole process that, that's been great. I'd say that's that was the. Yeah, one of the most helpful parts.
00:23:56:02 - 00:23:59:00
Unknown
Going through this is having history Colorado there.
00:23:59:02 - 00:24:01:11
Unknown
That's great to hear. Yes. We're good cheerleaders.
00:24:01:11 - 00:24:10:00
Unknown
Yeah. Oh, you guys are great. We're very much in line with kind of saving our past, and, yeah, seeing something new and better happen.
00:24:10:02 - 00:24:14:02
Unknown
Great, great. Well, we really can't do it without partners like you.
00:24:14:04 - 00:24:15:11
Unknown
That take this on.
00:24:15:11 - 00:24:20:07
Unknown
And again, it's like, I. I keep thinking it really is this, like, imagination,
00:24:20:11 - 00:24:27:10
Unknown
and being able to see where other people maybe see, like, a rubble of, you know, just like hopeless rubble.
00:24:27:12 - 00:24:34:11
Unknown
But you can, like, see past all of that and see what something could be. And it is so fantastic.
00:24:34:15 - 00:24:37:15
Unknown
I didn't imagine all the things that you all imagined.
00:24:37:16 - 00:24:39:21
Unknown
It's even better. Exceeds my
00:24:40:01 - 00:24:40:08
Unknown
expectations.
00:24:40:08 - 00:24:42:06
Unknown
Good. Oh, good. That's great. It
00:24:42:06 - 00:24:49:17
Unknown
is, like, delightful, to walk into the La Vista Motel. I've, like, gone a couple times and sipped some chai.
00:24:49:17 - 00:24:53:14
Unknown
Oh, good. Very good Chai there. Yep. Sherpa chai? Yeah. Like
00:24:53:14 - 00:24:56:15
Unknown
local, out of Boulder. Yeah. Great. Yeah.
00:24:56:15 - 00:25:03:19
Unknown
Yeah. And the design is just, like, over the top, perfect for the site. And I've not played games there yet,
00:25:03:22 - 00:25:04:00
Unknown
but
00:25:04:04 - 00:25:10:20
Unknown
Yeah. You'll have to come. My great next step. If you play mahjong, apparently we have some great mahjong tables. Excellent.
00:25:10:23 - 00:25:20:03
Unknown
Yeah. And it just seems like a great fit, for the neighborhood. And excited to see how it fits in. Once we've gotten the bus, zipping by.
00:25:20:05 - 00:25:23:08
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I'm excited to see that, too. Yeah. So
00:25:23:11 - 00:25:30:07
Unknown
again, like a good example of how preservation is a really big important part of what the future can be too.
00:25:30:09 - 00:25:30:22
Unknown
Yeah.
00:25:31:00 - 00:25:33:13
Unknown
Yeah. So we really thank you Nathan. Thank you
00:25:33:13 - 00:25:36:01
Unknown
for. coming by, Thank you guys, and sharing your story
00:25:36:03 - 00:25:40:11
Unknown
and especially for doing this great work on our beloved Colfax Avenue.
00:25:40:12 - 00:25:47:13
Unknown
Well, thanks for having me. Yes.
00:25:47:15 - 00:26:13:03
Unknown
To see photos from this edition, visit HistoryColorado.org/Podcast. Reframed Preservation for a New Day is presented by History Colorado, offering 11 beautiful, inspiring museums and historic sites that ignite imagination of all ages. Join us to discover your past and build a better future for all people in Colorado.
00:26:13:05 - 00:26:30:01
Unknown
Home to a free public research center, Colorado's Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation, and the Colorado State Historical Fund, the nation's largest preservation fund of its kind. Learn more at HistoryColorado.org
00:26:30:03 - 00:26:44:12
Unknown
This episode was produced by Sam Bock and Sarah Kappel, edited by Callie Mejia and directed by Julie Jackson of Julie Speer Productions and Truce Media Collective.
00:26:44:14 - 00:26:52:12
Unknown
Follow History Colorado on all social media platforms to stay in the know on all things history in Colorado.






























































