Denver, CO
Denver’s Nativ Hotel & Gatsby Social shuts down following failed inspections
A prominent Denver hotel and nightclub shut down over the weekend after city officials suspended its licenses, citing repeated failed inspections and violations of a stop-work order.
The city took action on April 10, suspending the liquor, food, lodging and cabaret licenses for the Nativ Hotel & Gatsby Social following multiple failed inspections by the Denver Fire Department, the Denver Police Department and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.
This is only the second summary suspension of a liquor license by the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection in Denver since 2023.
Courtesy of Marcus & Millichap The Nativ Hotel. (Image courtesy of Marcus & Millichap)
“This is the most severe immediate licensing discipline action the city can take against a business,” said Eric Escudero, director of communications for Denver Licensing and Consumer Protection, in an email to The Post.
“It is only used in very rare circumstances when there is the most severe threat to safety because of alleged law violations.”
An investigation by the fire department revealed that Corporate Housing on Wazee LLC, doing business as Nativ Hotel & Gatsby Social, has a history of fire code violations dating back to Jan. 7, 2025, according to the suspension order.
Although the property, 1612 Wazee St., had undergone multiple inspections since that time, a group inspection was conducted on Feb. 24 involving the fire, police and licensing departments.
That inspection uncovered numerous violations of fire and conveyance codes, deeming the property “unsafe for occupancy.” Most significantly, inspectors determined that the fire alarm system was not being monitored and had recorded 14 internal failure signals, including a notification failure.
As a result, the system did not alert any third-party central station or Denver Fire Dispatch when the alarm was activated.
The inspection also identified several additional violations, including a faulty fire alarm control system, ingress/egress blockages, sprinkler system violations, signage violations, breaches of fire-rated construction, fire doors propped open, improperly maintained and mounted fire extinguishers, corridor and stair blockages and improper propane storage.
As a result of the inspection, the fire department issued a stop-work order, requiring the building to be vacated immediately.
Property owner Thierry Rignol was given time to address the violations and was issued a 30-day fire watch permit, which allowed only the hotel to remain open under strict monitoring with qualified personnel on site.
By March 6, some corrections had been completed, but a follow-up fire department inspection found multiple violations remained, leading the city to cite Rignol for more than 840 violations
The fire watch permit expired on March 26, and the stop-work order once again prohibited the operation of the bar/nightclub and hotel.
Despite the order, the suspension document said Denver police observed the property operating as a bar and nightclub and continued to admit patrons between April 3 and the early hours of April 5.
In addition, during the early morning hours of April 4, Denver police officers responded to a felony menacing incident outside the premises. A patron who had been removed returned with a firearm and threatened security guardss.
The police department’s media relations team told The Post that officers were also dispatched around 1:51 a.m. on April 5 to a reported assault in the 1600 block of Wazee Street. A patron was found unconscious and injured on the sidewalk in front of the premises. That case remains under investigation.
“The Denver Police Department will respectfully decline commenting on this situation, given the pending action by Licensing and Consumer Protection,” the department said.
The city began receiving community complaints about the business in 2024 when it operated under the tradename Hotel Nativ.
Rignol was formally notified of the suspension on Friday. The hotel was then given 48 hours to shut down operations so guests could be notified, and the nightclub has since closed, according to the city.
Mark Ivanyo, managing partner at the Texas-based Ivanyo Law Office, represents Rignol.
He said the fire alarm panel cited in the city’s order had been replaced several weeks before its April 13 inspection, and that the system has since been installed, tested and is now fully operational. At the same time, he said the fire department issued a written inspection report confirming the system’s installation and testing, lifting the stop-work order at the property.
“The property is currently in an active compliance process, with any remaining items limited to permitting and final acceptance steps that are in progress. Earlier reporting has referenced aggregate violation figures that do not reflect how those figures are calculated or the actual number of distinct issues identified,” Ivanyo said.
“The company is continuing to work with all relevant authorities and regulators to address any outstanding matters and hopes to resume operations as soon as that process is complete.”
The business will be required to appear before a city hearing officer, where it will have an opportunity to contest the suspension.
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Denver, CO
Denver area events for April 15
Denver, CO
Denver Mountain Parks to take over management of Mount Blue Sky road
When the Mount Blue Sky Road opens Memorial Day weekend from Echo Lake to the iconic mountain’s 14,266-foot summit, conditions permitting, there will be a change in the way access to the road is managed.
Denver Mountain Parks will staff the welcome station at Echo Lake and manage the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area, taking over that role from the Arapaho National Forest.
“Managing this complex, high-use recreation area has always been a shared stewardship effort between the national forest, the city of Denver and state of Colorado,” forest supervisor Christopher Stubbs said in a joint news release. “We have been working together on this mountain for more than a century. In the early years, Denver had the greater presence with their (Echo Lake) lodge and restaurants on the mountain. For the past four decades, the forest service has been at the helm. Now it’s Denver’s turn again.”
The Mount Blue Sky Road did not open last summer due to a road repair project near Summit Lake. CDOT maintains the highway and plows it in the spring for summer access. More than 100,000 visitors drive the road annually. It typically opens around Memorial Day, after the roadway is clear of snow, and closes on Labor Day.
Denver Mountain Parks will collect fees, manage the reservation system and set operating hours. Reservations are expected to become available on recreation.gov in May.
The cost of entry will be $20 per car and $15 for motorcycles. Bikes and pedestrians will be free.
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Denver, CO
Historic 84-year-old Bonnie Brae gas station in Denver officially listed for sale by family
DENVER — After 84 years of pumping gas and cleaning windshields, the family-owned Bonnie Brae Conoco in Denver is officially up for sale.
Located at the corner of University and Exposition, the station has been a staple in the neighborhood for generations. Owner Ken Wilson believes it could be the only remaining full-service, family-owned gas station in the city.
“Some people wouldn’t know what to do if we stopped doing this,” Wilson said.
Mike Castellucci
Wilson started working at the station when he was 12 years old. His family has owned the business through the decades, keeping photos from the 1940s through the 1970s.
“So many memories. I love coming to work. When I come here I feel like my dad never left,” Wilson said.
Wilson noted that his father died 14 years ago.
► Watch Mike Castellucci’s report in the player below:
Historic Bonnie Brae Conoco gas station in Denver officially listed for sale
The station was previously known for a sign that read “not for sale.” Now, the sign has changed to indicate the property is on the market.
“We’re just looking to the future. It’s a great property. It’s been good to us. We love the neighborhood. I love coming to work. So it’s not like I’m dying to sell this. We think it’s a very valuable property,” Wilson said.
Mike Castellucci
Today, employee Claude Espinoza is changing out winter tires for summer tires.
“I get it. Only so long you can run a family business,” Espinoza said.
Customers like Ali Halberson, who spent $100 to fill her car, are feeling the impact of changing times.
“I was really empty,” Halberson said.
While Halberson thinks current gas prices are “terrible,” customers in the neighborhood do not want to pay the price of watching the Wilson family’s station disappear. Other gas stations that used to operate across the street and next door are long gone, leaving the Bonnie Brae Conoco as a final remnant of a bygone era.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Denver7’s Mike Castellucci covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on community connections. If you’d like to get in touch with Mike, fill out the form below to send him an email.
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