Former Stapleton Airport control tower to become Punch Bowl Social

The former Stapleton International Airport air traffic control tower has stood vacant for more than 20 years — a stark monument among the manicured parks and shiny tract homes of one of Denver’s most meticulously planned neighborhoods. Soon, it will have a new purpose.

Punch Bowl Social, the Denver-based chain of food, drink and entertainment venues, announced plans Monday to redevelop the iconic structure and surrounding land for its corporate headquarters and a second metro Denver location.

“There’s no better repurpose for this space than to convert it into a community social gathering epicenter for the Stapleton area and beyond,” Punch Bowl Social CEO Robert Thompson said. “The entire state of Colorado cares what happens here, and we promise to be good stewards of this building and its history.”

The 600-capacity venue, which is set to open in the spring of 2016, will create about 150 jobs, Thompson said.

The original Punch Bowl Social location on South Broadway has been the focus of complaints from neighborhood residents who blame the bar for rowdy frat-boy party crowds, noise and parking woes.

The Stapleton location, Thompson said, likely will not face the same pressures as the Broadway store, which he said is in “a vibrant and growing entertainment district” where the issues can’t all be pinned on Punch Bowl Social.

“We are developing almost 2 full acres of the land, which should meet the parking needs,” he said. ” We also believe this is a walk-to and bicycling opportunity for the folks in the local area.”

Proximity to Stapleton’s residential neighborhoods has already influenced design, Thompson said.

“We sacrificed the mountain view to put the outdoor space on the east side, to keep it away from the residents on the back,” he said. “Our architects weren’t happy about it, but we knew it was the right thing to do.”

Punch Bowl Social, with locations in Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore.; Detroit; and soon, in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, does not build from scratch. Instead, older structures are remodeled to preserve their historic character — a concept called ” adaptive reuse.”

Becky Stone of Oz Architecture will lead the redesign.

The current footprint of the Stapleton tower is about 15,000 square feet. It will be expanded to about 25,000 square feet, including a 2,500-square-foot patio that will “celebrate the existing structure,” Thompson said.

“The design of the original structure was midcentury modern with a slant towards Art Deco,” Thompson said. “The addition of 5,600 square feet of exterior space we’re adding will be a … contemporary reinterpretation of midcentury-modern details.”

The exterior of the tower will remain intact, while much of the interior and the attached three-story building will be gutted and redesigned. Access to the control tower observation deck will depend on Punch Bowl Social’s ability to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Thompson said.

“We have to walk through the many steps of determining whether it’s cost-effective to bring the elevator up to the tower,” he said.

The top floor of the attached building will be used for Punch Bowl Social’s corporate offices.

The two lower levels will be redeveloped to house the restaurant, six bowling lanes, and other amenities such as pingpong and private karaoke rooms. There are currently no plans for live music, Thompson said.

He said the project likely will cost about $6 million and will be funded by Punch Bowl Social and Stapleton master developer Forest City.

Thompson said no city tax incentives were used for the project, but he’s not ruling out pursuing state incentives.

“The genesis of this was not based on taxpayer dollars pulling this together,” Thompson said. “I think we’ll ask for those things … if there’s any benefit to creating jobs.”

Stapleton, the former home of Stapleton Airport, has 4,100 acres for planned redevelopment, which includes parks, bike and walking trails, 10 million square feet of office space, 2.1 million square feet of retail space and more, according to a release.

“Over the past 14 years as this property has been redeveloped, we’ve been able to maintain or repurpose several of these former facilities in uses that now are integrated into the community,” Forest City Stapleton senior vice president James Chrisman said. “It will always be a representation of what Stapleton was and what Stapleton’s history is.”

Denver City Councilman Chris Herndon, who represents District 11, which includes Stapleton, gathered ideas for the tower’s reuse from locals.

Sadly, he said, those offered by local elementary school students didn’t make the cut.

“I’m sorry to say a spy house is not what we’re going to turn this into,” Herndon joked. “One thing I realized quickly is how everyone shared my idea of finding a way to activate the tower space behind us.”

Laura Keeney: 303-954-1337, lkeeney@denverpost.com or twitter.com/LauraKeeney