11TH AVENUE HOTEL

THIS Is the accidental love story BETWEEN ONE FAMILY AND THE CITY OF DENVER.

As humble potato farmers in Derby, Colorado, the Ilg family did not have aspirations to become mavens of hospitality. They were focused on growing potatoes and brewing some of the county's best moonshine (a.k.a. booze) during prohibition.

As times and jobs changed, the family found themselves wandering to Denver, and doing everything from butchering meat, to fixing cars, to running grocery stores. In 1988, after an eminent domain case forced them to sell the West Hotel, the Ilgs plopped into their current location at 1112 Broadway in the heart of Denver, Colorado, just three blocks from the State Capitol, and a block from the Denver Art Museum.

Unfortunately, the building wasn't the gem it is today. It was gross, dilapidated, totally run down, and being used as a flop house.

For a few years, the family played around with the building, trying to figure out what to do with such a unique challenge. By 2007, they decided to convert part of the building to a hostel, since Denver needed one.

In 2010, they added a kitchen. In 2016 they redid the patio. In 2017, they expanded the kitchen. By 2019, they realized they had pushed the building to its furthest limits, and decided to renovate the 100+ year-old building, adding all new mechanical, plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical systems.

Oh, and then a global pandemic hit.

They cried a little, prayed a lot, and cursed a few times under their breath. They rolled up their sleeves, and joined the construction crew, painted walls, ripped staples out of the floors, sanded, got electrocuted only a few times, and reopened in summer 2021.

It was not until they crossed that finish line, flung open the doors, Eiskaffee ice cream cone in hand, that they realized they had made it. Sort of.

Turns out, running a small business is difficult. There are always new challenges. But, at the end of the day, the family loves the city, and they think the city loves them.

So they aren't going anywhere.