The Armory returns to its original drill: Events

A building wants what a building wants. And 314 E. Mountain Ave. in Fort Collins just wants to have parties.

Amy Satterfield and Paul Jensen finally decided to quit fighting their building’s highest and best use, and have returned the century-old Armory to its original purpose – military drills and civic events, minus the drills.

SPONSORED CONTENT

The many benefits of simple, coordinated healthcare

Kaiser Permanente combines health care and coverage in one connected system to maximize employee health and minimize employer costs.

“Paul has always loved this building,” Satterfield said. “On our first date he brought me here, to this completely dilapidated structure – missing steps, rats and dirt floors in the basement where the horses had been stabled. But he saw through all that.”

Jensen, owner of One Tribe Creative, was not the only one who imagined a cool new use for the cool old building. But the space remained empty from the time Paramount Laundry & Drive-In Cleaners closed up shop in 1994 until Jensen bought it in 2001.

“Paul had to work out a renovation plan,” Satterfield said. “And when the work was finished, we rented it out. I was a freeloader in the colonel’s quarters (as owner of Wadoo Furniture and Gifts). Paul had his office here. We had all kinds of tenants, including a chiropractor and a travel destination club. It was always full.”

Then in December 2009, clarity struck. Once renovated, the Armory seemed to catch the imagination of all who walked into its great big space, where every Friday night from 1907 on, Company F of the National Guard had practiced drills as townspeople looked on from the mezzanine. When the armory itself was relocated in 1922, the civic events continued in the building.

“There were fight nights, and at one point in the 1930s, it was a roller skating rink,” Satterfield said. “You can tell from the original wood floors that there was a lot of activity over the years.”

All that ended in 1950 when the Paramount Laundry moved in.

“It was a big operation,” Satterfield said. “They did all the sheets for the hotels. After the laundry closed, the building was emptied of all the equipment and left to sit there for the next six years until Paul bought it. He opened it the year we got married.”

It took barely three months from the time the couple decided to bring their building full circle for The Armory Event Hall to hold its grand opening on March 25. The bookings are rolling in.

Bobbie Randolph, who with her husband Mark owns Tapestry House Event Center in LaPorte, noted that the timing for the Armory is good.

“Lincoln Center is closing for renovations and is not booking any weddings,” she said. “We have had 22 new ‘holds’ since January, compared with only nine this time last year. So the year is starting well.”

She added that as with other businesses, event center owners have had to get creative in a bad economy and work with brides and businesses wanting more for less money.

“I think that having the Armory will be a good thing for Fort Collins,” she said. “We will probably compete for some business, but Tapestry House has the beautiful grounds and the trees, and the Armory has a more urban, modern feel. We have been here for six years and hope we have weathered the worst of the economy.”

New spots for the new season

In spring, a young chef’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of cooking. Some of the newest eateries – Baja Fish Co. and Moe’s Original Bar B Que – got a jump on the equinox.

On Fourth Street in downtown Loveland, left a little lonely by the departure of Monaco’s, the Baja Fish Co. has opened to enthusiastic reviews. The tableside guacamole appears to be the big hit, and the Baja’s Margarita has been favorably compared to the Rio’s. Mike Severance of Cactus Grille fame and his wife Cole will manage the restaurant for owner Tom Modlich.

In Fort Collins, owner/chef Ted Schneider has opened Moe’s on North College Avenue, in the space most recently vacated by Plank. The barbecue chain was founded in 2001 in Vail by Mike Fernandez, Ben Gilbert and Jeff Kennedy. Schneider met them when he was working as executive chef at the upscale Grouse Mountain Grill in Beaver Creek and the restaurants at Vail Plaza Hotel & Club.

 “I spent 15 years doing fine dining,” Schneider, 38, said. “But when it came time for me to put my own money to work in this economy, I was looking for a different kind of restaurant. This is southern with a touch of Wisconsin. You can get Alabama barbecue, pickled eggs and Packers games on Sunday.”

A few blocks south, Elliot’s Mess has become Stuft: a Burger Bar. Owner Jake Fitzsimmons decided that burgers would be a better draw for the evening crowd. Tiffany Pellin, formerly Elliot’s general manager, is managing partner. Watch out for burger wars when Big Al’s Burgers and Fries opens on Mountain Avenue soon.

Also watch for a piano bar in the South College Avenue space most recently occupied by the Wild Rock Café – previously Hooters.

Speaking of spring, hope springs eternal at 214 Linden St. with the anticipated arrival of Sports eXchange, a restaurant/bar concept for bullishly-bearish times: Prices on the menu “ticker” will change depending on demand for individual dishes.

There’s been no shortage of demand for the space since Linden’s Brewing Co. ended its 20-year run in 2003, with concepts changing almost as rapidly as the Dow. Connor O’Neill’s closed after a scant two years; another Irish pub, the Black Oak, opened and closed in three months in 2007 – the record so far. Hamilton’s opened last spring and closed five months later. Here’s hoping new owners Brittney O’Daniel and April King have hit on a profitable Over-the-Counter offering.

One very bullish commodity: chicken wings. USA Today recently reported that the once “throwaway” wings are now so popular that their price is soaring, while sales of other chicken parts remain earthbound. Look for breasts and thighs on the Sports eXchange ticker.

Jane Albritton is a contributing writer for the Northern Colorado Business Report. Her monthly column features restaurant and hospitality industry news. She can be contacted at jane@tigerworks.com.