Web Exclusive! (Don’t) Forget Paris
Homebuyers and investors hoping to own a piece of Denver’s colorful past now have the opportunity. Owner Rick Borman and Kentwood City Properties broker Alyssa Jahns announced that residential units will be for sale—for the first time in more than 100 years—in the Paris Hotel, located at 2191 Arapahoe Street.
The building, built in 1891 and renamed the Paris Hotel in 1935, has been used as rental units since 1988 when Borman took over the ransacked building to create affordable—and artsy— apartments in the Ball Park Neighborhood. To ensure the future of the building, Borman decided to sell the individual units to existing tenants and the public.
“I love this building,” says Borman. “In 1988 I saved it from becoming a parking lot. Today, as the Ball Park Neighborhood flourishes, Paris needed another overhaul. The timing is perfect to renovate and make the units available to the public.”
The design team of Xan Creative will renovate the building, listed on the National and State Historic Registries. Renovations will include complete kitchen overhauls, new fixtures and lighting throughout the units, new hardwood flooring and updated finishes. The lofts range from 587 square feet to 840 square feet and will sell for $161,000 to $235,000.
The innovative team was happy to start the project, which they define as “one of a kind.”
Each of the 17 units spans the full height of the building, creating a tri-level, suspended-brownstone appeal. When Borman first renovated the hotel, he created a half story to draw in the generous light that flows from the numerous Victorian-style windows lining the building, perfect for a dining room or study.
Xan Creative will offer numerous designs for buyers to choose from, but Kentwood broker Alyssa Jahns says some of her buyers are thinking a little off the wall, including one buyer who will combine two units into one residence.
The building is not just a residence; it is a community. A courtyard sits off the street and serves as the entryway. Throughout Borman’s ownership, the ground floor space has housed restaurants that took advantage of the lush interior garden. Among them were the historic La Coupole Cafe and Tiramasu, but today Buenos Aires Grill—a recently opened steak house— gives buyers a new flavor along with the new look.
