FROM THE EDITOR: Tivoli Haunts

There are a lot of late nights working for a newspaper, almost infamously. You picture a darkened newsroom filled with the sound of anxious chatter, clicking computers, and shuffling papers. At the Sentry, we hear more than the typical noises late at night when we work.

Our office is located on the third floor of the Tivoli. We hear banging pipes all the time. The water rushes through them as toilets are flushed, sinks are run—water swims through the old walls without subtlety.

The Tivoli has stood proudly since it was built as the Colorado Brewery in 1870 by Mortz Sigi. It remained a brewery for nearly a hundred years, changing ownership under a complex series of deals over the time period. It stands to reason that paranormal activity is the longest-running piece of gossip these halls have ever heard.

What old building could stand proudly without the whisperings of hauntings? Even former Sentry staff members have stories to tell: One editor years ago reported seeing a man behind him in the bathroom mirror, only to turn around to find nothingness.

It’s easy, then, to freak out every time a door rumbles through the halls of the Tivoli long after the businesses have closed, or to perhaps walk a little faster down the hallway when you have the feeling you’re not enjoying the solitude you visually ascertain exists.

But this old Tivoli has stories—I’m not saying it “shines” like Danny-boy and the Stanley Hotel, but it has a palpable history. The beautiful old brick holds together a building that stands impervious to the progression of time, no matter how many computers we stuff inside of it.

As Denver grows, we do risk needless destruction. Not every building needs to be scraped to the ground so rashly. Capitalism is about tearing things apart to create something bigger, but history has its value.

These remanence of history that are the brick buildings in Larimer Square, the revival of the brewery in the Tivoli, and the little Emmanuel Gallery’s creative expression add value to modernity. We must preserve the past if we want to venerate our future.

Several CU Denver graduate students from Professor Tom Noel’s history and preservation classes spoke about the preservation of historic buildings at this year’s annual Colorado Preservation conference. Read more about their role at this event on page 11.

—Madi Bates