DENVER — The historic Evans School in Denver's Golden Triangle has a new lease on life as Schoolyard Beer Garden.
City Street Investors, which purchased the property in 2019, listened to requests from people in the neighborhood about what to do next with the space.
"So within those focus groups, they found out they really wanted a place to gather, food, beverage options, so that's why our beer garden and this cafe is a perfect fit for it," said Casey Kirk, director of operations for City Streets' beer gardens. "So, through that kind of crowdsourcing that we had a good idea of what the neighborhood was looking for."
Not only are there plenty of seats outside, but there is also a full indoor area where people can look out on the boiler room and see flags designed by a local artist who used theatre curtains to symbolize the building, along with our state's flora and fauna.
"It's awesome just to see it in action, to see the beer garden operating as intended, to all the people on a nice sunny afternoon coming in and ordering food and then going out to the beautiful gardens space," Kirk said. "It's operating great and the response is really positive from the neighborhood. They're all really happy we're here."
The building was designed in 1904 by Denver architect David Dryden and was one of the few schools to teach deaf, blind, or physically handicapped students. Laurie Adams attended the school in 1971 before it was shut down, but still has memories of the halls.
"I loved the architecture of the school. Even then, I came from a small town in Texas and a lot of old antebellum homes and big mansions and things, and I didn't live in one of those, of course, but I always thought they were really cool," Adams said. "I'm an artist now, so I can really appreciate architecture. I've always loved architecture, and I remember the two-foot-thick walls and being really amazed about that."
Adams attended school with her two sisters. They moved from a small town in Texas and were put into a small classroom with other students who were not deaf or blind. While she only spent fifth grade in this building, she learned a greater lesson that she's carried through life.
"I learned empathy for people from all walks of life and different abilities. At age 11, I learned not to judge people because everyone — the majority of the people going to school here — had challenges," said Adams. "So, I learned acceptance and tolerance and empathy, and that's always had a big impact on me."
Work is still being done at the Evans School. Kirk said they are currently building out an event center in the auditorium and are introducing some third-party tenants on the first and second floors.
Schoolyard Beer Garden is located at 1115 Acoma Street. Experts with the Denver Public Library will be there from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 23 to discuss their top book picks heading into the summer reading season.
