Near Union Station in Denver’s LoDo district, so close to Coors Field that you can hear base hits, there’s a long block between Wazee and Blake that feels like a neighborhood unto itself. Anchored both by new and historic buildings, and carved down the middle by Denver’s first ever activated public alleyway, it’s home to nineteen eateries, seven bars, thirteen retail shops and one independent hotel, along with high-concept office and event spaces.
This square block has long been a place for makers. It housed both Windsor Dairy and a prominent lumberyard in the early 20th Century, when LoDo first became a center for culture and commerce in Denver. Windsor products were peerless, their quality, freshness and purity ensured by meticulous craftsmanship, and prized by all of Denver.
We honor this storied past as we give rise to a new LoDo legacy. Modern makers, with their dual passions for originality and local heritage, for artistry and craft, take center stage here every day. Our work is guided by their passion. It’s what gives Dairy Block its soul.
Story Type
Our Work
Location
Denver, Colorado
Property Type
Mixed Use
Classification
Independent
Year Est.
2019
Teams Involved
- Hotel Management
- Restaurant Concepts
- Investments
- Studio
Awards & Recognition
Tripadvisor’s Traveler’s Choice #1 in the U.S.
715
Art pieces, murals and interactive installations
41
Eateries, bars and retail shops
300+
Activations in the Alley each year
LoDo experienced a resurgence beginning in the mid-’90s. Two major sports arenas were constructed in the neighborhood, and the Museum of Contemporary Art arrived. At Sage, we revitalized the Oxford Hotel, opened the Rally and the Crawford, and filled Union Station with regional art. The history of the Dairy Block site kindled ideas for an immersive, multi-faceted experience that celebrates the work of local makers and appeals equally to Denver’s residents and its visitors.
In close partnership with McWhinney and Grand American…
Dairy Block’s tenants are carefully selected and supported by our partnership team to ensure that the entire micro-district celebrates the power of innovation and craft.
- Sarah O Jewelry, with its singular blend of heritage, craftsmanship and elegance
- BRUTØ, where locally sourced grains are milled on site and an omakase-style tasting menu is presented at the chef’s counter
- Deviation distilling, a Denver-based, true craft distillery that brings culinary sensibilities to its beautifully bottled series of spirits
Dairy Block is also a showplace for art pieces, murals and interactive installations by more than 30 local artists, giving it an aesthetic that draws on the site’s history and encapsulates Mile High Culture. The Alley itself is always evolving. With over 300 activations each year — activities and performances, markets and exhibits, tiny pop-ups and full-Alley takeovers — Dairy Block continuously attracts the hometown community, who can always expect something new.
“Dairy Block is a vibrant, walkable micro-district dedicated to quality in all things and the craftsmanship that goes into small-batch, iconic and heritage brands.”
— Visit Denver
Hospitality mavens
Our own craft is hospitality, brought to life every day at Dairy Block in the Maven Hotel, Kachina Cantina and Poka Lola.
The Maven features 172 loft-style rooms and a unique lobby that functions as community space and opens out toward the Alley, extending our hospitality and the Maven’s hand-crafted aesthetic to the people who live, work and play in and around Denver. Artwork by Front Range makers decorates the Mavens’ rooms and adorns its central spaces, from the massive Maker’s Hand on the ground floor to the steel-and-lumber numbers on hotel room doors.
Maven hotel suite overlooking Coors Field
Maven Hotel Lobby and Poka Lola Social Club
Sage Restaurant Concepts’ Kachina Cantina, on Dairy Block’s northernmost corner, blends Mexican cuisine with techniques and ingredients from our native Southwest and surrounds customers in bright, joyful interior design. Poka Lola, a cocktail bar, incorporates art deco elements and old school soda-fountain style into its branding and color palette. The bar opens into the Maven’s lobby and out into the Alley, adding to Dairy Block’s immersive nature and providing opportunities for activations, including live music talent.
The spaces that we operate harmonize perfectly with the other businesses that call Dairy Block home, giving the micro-district a curated feel and a singular purpose: celebrating craft and the makers who bring it to life. It’s one square block that epitomizes a city and its region, bringing a unique history into the present, and ensuring its place in our future.
