For years, every time we went to the Denver Art Museum, we’d walk past the massive Evans School building and ask ourselves, “When is somebody going to do something with that?” Well, somebody did and did it well, bringing new life to a beautiful building and new reasons to meet up at the schoolyard.
The building originally opened in 1904 as a public elementary school. In the “Classical Revival” style, it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has also sat vacant for more than four decades!
City Street Investors, the team behind redeveloping Denver Union Station, the Hangar 2 Lowry project and several restaurants, has a long history of taking the best of the old to mix with the new. What they’ve created is a new social hub in the Golden Triangle neighborhood by opening The Schoolyard Beer Garden and the Schoolyard Café in the former school. More on those eateries, below.
In addition to the eateries, there is more than 13,000 square feet of retail space available in former classrooms on the 1st and 2nd floor (love the transom windows at the top!). City Street envisions tenants such as artist co-ops, yoga studios and salons. There’s also more than 9,000 square feet of office space currently available on the 3rd floor and, later this year, the original 4,000 square foot auditorium will be available as a special event space for social celebrations and corporate gatherings.
The building is full of beautiful touches, especially the preserved, ornate copper and brass staircases, tin ceilings and woodwork. But the electrical, plumbing and mechanical have all been brought up to modern times.
Schoolyard Food & Drink at the Evans School
If you’re a fan of the Lowry Beer Garden, you’ll love The Schoolyard Beer Garden, especially because the interior is so appealing. The unique space is in what was the students’ cafeteria (check out the charming and funny historic schoolkid murals) as well as the sunken boiler room. The old boiler room doors hang on the wall, a massive, steam-punkish decor focal point. Knowing that the space of all-hard surfaces could reach the volume levels of a lunchroom brawl when it’s full, they commissioned local artist Lonnie Hanzon to create custom art; hand-stitched hanging fabric banners that salute Colorado.
Open daily at 11am, the Schoolyard Beer Garden’s menu includes a variety of burgers, brats and sandwiches including the ABC Burger (Teacher would be proud) with avocado, bacon, Swiss cheese, tomato and mayo plus an Elk Jalapeno Cheddar Brat with pepper jack cheese, roasted poblanos and chipotle aioli. There are also salads, bowls like a Harissa Chicken Bowl, and those famous doughy pretzels. Don’t skip getting an order of the Beer Garden’s fries – they are some of our favorites. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a beer garden without beers! There are more than a dozen Colorado craft brews being poured plus 18 on tap and several more available in the bottle and can.
Eat inside the creative Schoolyard Beer Garden space or take your food outside (a little bit of a trek) to the wrap-around, fenced in area where you can easily imagine kids from the early 1900’s running around, playing at recess.
The Schoolyard Café is the other food/drink option at the Evans School, aimed at being just what people need throughout the day. It’s open from 7am-8pm Sunday-Tuesday and 7am-9pm Wednesday-Saturday.
In the morning, get coffee and grab-and-go items including tasty breakfast burritos (be sure to dip it in the accompanying salsa) and pastries. As the day progresses, there are salads like the Chickpea & Quinoa Salad, the Chicken Bacon Wrap sandwich and paninis.
Come evening, the Schoolyard Café serves butter boards and charcuterie platters, each with a handpicked selection of fresh herbs, edible flowers, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts and more to dress them up. There is also a full bar pouring an extensive menu of wines by the glass.
Dessert were surely the favorite part of lunch for the Evans School’s students and it certainly is for this generation of diners. Items include cheesecakes and chocolate peanut butter bars plus eight flavors of locally-made ice cream, served both inside and from the walk-up window on the patio. That was one of the things neighbors said they wanted during City Street Investors’ focus group sessions. Who can blame them, really?
What would those kiddos of yore think about what’s been done to their school? I had to wonder. The architecture has been honored, the frosted and numbered classrooms are still there, tables for working and conversing line the main hallway, and the buzz of conversation is still heard in the cafeteria (but with much better food, for sure). And being able to get an ice cream and sit outside at long tables or comfortable conversation pits? I certainly would have had perfect attendance!
The Evans School offers off-street parking, with 100 spaces available on the second and third floors of the Dryden Garage, 1140 Bannock Street.
-Story and photos, except where noted, by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher & Managing Editor, InGoodTasteDenver.com.
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