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Gotta Knock Down the Old to Build Up the New: The Royal Palace Motel Demolished, Paving the Way for a Modern Apartment Complex
After a significant stretch of a year since being acquired, the iconic Royal Palace Motel is no more, making way for a modern housing development. On Monday, demolition crews began dismantling the long-deserted building, located north of the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Colfax Avenue.
This 5-story structure, sprawled over roughly an acre at 1565 N. Colorado Blvd, was scooped up by the Chicago-based Laramar Group in January 2024 at a cost of around $7.3 million. The firm specializes in apartment development, having presented a plan for a contemporary 6-story building on the site with approximately 150 residential units.
A representative from Laramar remained unresponsive to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Originally erected in 1969, the Royal Palace Motel was a relic of the golden age of motels that decorated Colfax Avenue. With the completion of Interstate 70 around the same period, travelers were diverted away, leading to the downfall of most Colfax motels.
Over the years, many of these motels have either been demolished or repurposed to accommodate the city's underprivileged residents. The Royal Palace, while holding on for decades after ceasing operations in 2013, had its share of dark moments, including a 1998 homicide that remains an unsolved cold case.
Before being sold to the Laramar Group, the property was in the possession of Denver developer Jeff Oberg who had purchased it for merely $850,000 in 2004.
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*Find out more about the revitalization plans at BusinessDen***.
In the pipelines for the redevelopment site, the Laramar Group usually has plans for the construction of 155 new charming apartments, alongside structured parking and streetscape improvements. As of May 2025, the Site Development Plan is still under city review[3]. The metamorphosis of the Royal Palace Motel site into a residential complex forms part of broader development initiatives in Denver that focus on enhancing housing choices and revamping local infrastructure[4]. However, the specifics regarding the completion timeline or additional amenities have yet to be unveiled in the available information.
- The Laramar Group, a firm specializing in apartment development, is replacing the old Royal Palace Motel with a modern housing complex, marking a significant shift in the real-estate landscape.
- The new development, planned to be a 6-story building, will house around 150 residential units, potentially providing a new business opportunity for individuals interested in investing in real-estate.
- The Laramar Group's plans for the site involve the construction of structured parking and streetscape improvements, suggesting a commitment to enhancing the local infrastructure and business environment.
- The demolition of the historic Royal Palace Motel has stirred discussions about the change in Denver's housing and business policy, with some observing it as part of wider development initiatives focusing on housing choices and infrastructure revitalization.
- As the property undergoes revitalization, stakeholders in the Denver business community, particularly those in the real-estate, finance, and investing sectors, are closely monitoring the development for potential implications and opportunities.
