The Aspen City Council chambers erupted in applause Tuesday night when city council unanimously approved the land use for the Armory Hall redevelopment project.
The approval was a major milestone in the project that first received voter approval to use the historic building as a community gathering space 10 years ago. City council has been reviewing the project since 2022.
“We are all so delighted with the progress that’s been made, the compromises to getting to this really amazing product,” Councilwoman Christine Benedetti said. “We talk a lot about community spaces and I really believe this is going to significantly add to the vibrancy of our community for all ages, all demographics, and I’m thrilled to support it tonight.”
The Armory opened in 1892 at 130 S. Galena St. as an assembly space for various fraternal organizations. In 1896, it changed hands to a group of local citizens and was used for public events like dances, indoor baseball and basketball games and more. It served as Aspen City Hall from the 1960s through 2021 until the new Rio Grande city hall opened.
City council has reviewed the Armory project for nearly four years. In January, it greenlit an expedited land use review for the project, which pushed the construction timeline up by about one year.
In June, the city’s historic preservation commission recommended denial of the project because of some significant changes proposed for the structure.
HPC met twice in the spring to review the proposed development, and recommended denial of the project to the city council on June 3, but offered 10 conditions to the proposed designs that would justify approval. Council members agreed to move forward with all but one recommendation regarding the building’s southern eave that was added to the structure in 1906.
The project’s design team met with HPC after the city council agreed to move forward with nearly all of the commission’s recommendations, and reached an agreement on the design of the overhang that will hang above the entrance next to Conner Park.
The designs of the Armory that the city council approved Tuesday night showed the latest floor plan details for the building.
The main floor will feature a lunch counter near the entrance on Hopkins Avenue, several dining and seating areas and three kitchens for food service. The lunch counter will have limited alcohol service without a prominent bar.
The mezzanine will feature a community lounge with several seating areas, billiards tables and a shuffleboard table. Todd Kennedy, a principal architect with Basalt-based CCY Architects said the designers envisioned it to be a “teen hangout zone.”
“This mezzanine space has continued to evolve, but we’ve really seen this as a community lounge space, a place where community members can come and play pool, play shuffleboard,” Kennedy said. “We think there’s an opportunity to think about this as a teen hangout zone, from the time school gets out until the early evening when maybe they’re meeting their families here for dinner.”
The upper level will have a central bar area and several seating areas. Council members have emphasized for months that they did not want alcohol service to be on the main floor of the Armory to maintain the building as a community gathering space for all ages. Portions of the space can be rented for parties or other private gatherings.
The basement will largely be a community flex space that can be used for meetings, banquets, markets and more. It will have a new connection to Conner Park, which will offer more natural light.
The redevelopment project will also prioritize revitalizing Conner Park. The large spruce tree in the center of the park will have a tree deck with seating. Because of the large tree and the anticipated heavy foot traffic, a portion of the grass in the park will likely be hardscaped with material like stone or brick.
A WE-Cycle station will be added in the alleyway seasonally.
The approval Tuesday night was a long time coming. Now, the city will pursue a building permit for the project and seek a master lease operator who will be responsible for managing the building’s vendors. The city anticipates construction to start in the fall of 2026 if all goes as planned.
“I’m just so pleased with where we are today and how this has turned out. I’m also super grateful and appreciative to members of HPC that have contributed their feedback into making this something that respects the history of this building in our community and creates the best possible outcome,” Councilman Bill Guth said. “I’m so excited for this to continue to move forward, I’m pleased with the pace that it’s moved forward, and I can’t wait to eat a bowl of noodles, a burger, have a beer in this building, and I’m just totally delighted and excited and deeply appreciative of everyone’s efforts.”
Note: Christine Benedetti is married to Aspen Daily News publisher David Cook.
