DENVER — A Denver landmark is no more. The former Royal Palace Motel on Colorado Boulevard was demolished Tuesday after standing abandoned for over a decade.
Built in 1969 near the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and E. Colfax Avenue, the six-story Royal Palace Motel once boasted 70 rooms, a meeting room and a glass elevator.
However, the area’s crime rate steadily increased over the years, and the property fell into disrepair, closing for good in 2013.
Since then, the former Royal Palace Motel building has sat empty, becoming an eyesore to some but a memory palace to others.
On Tuesday, crews began demolishing the more than 50-year-old building, and AirTracker7 was over the scene to capture it (video below).
Real estate firm Laramar Group purchased the property last year for $7.3 million.
According to city records, the firm plans to build a six-story apartment building on the one-acre site with at least 153 units. City records show a permit is still pending for that project.
Some nearby residents told Denver7 in 2024 they hoped the impending demolition wouldn't lead to the loss of the Motel's iconic sign, which featured a large crown topped with a spinning disco ball.
Luckily, Jonny Barber, a Denver resident who collects artifacts from Colfax Avenue, swooped in to save the sign. Part of it is on display, he says, at an eastside art gallery called Counterpath. The crown and disco ball are at Barber's home.
"The feelings about the Royal Palace are all across the spectrum," Barber told Denver7 on Wednesday. "I've had people that are just like, ‘Man, that is such an eyesore. I couldn't wait to see that thing go.’ And then other people that are like, you know, that sign is a… classic piece, it belongs in a museum."
Barber—who likens himself to Indiana Jones when it comes to Colfax artifacts—says his goal is to one day open a museum or attraction that displays neon signs and other pieces of the street's history.
"Neon is art, and neon is just beautiful," he said. "[Neon signs] have that allure, because their job is to, you know, draw people off the street."
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