Denver airport tower converted to restaurant

By Francesca Street, CNN
3 minute read
Published 4:27 AM EST, Wed November 29, 2017
<strong>Living the high life: </strong>Denver's Stapleton International Airport closed in 1995 and all the buildings were demolished -- except one: the air traffic control tower. Now this iconic Colorado building has been transformed into an outpost of Denver-based "eatertainment" company Punch Bowl Social.
Living the high life: Denver's Stapleton International Airport closed in 1995 and all the buildings were demolished -- except one: the air traffic control tower. Now this iconic Colorado building has been transformed into an outpost of Denver-based "eatertainment" company Punch Bowl Social.
Courtesy Amber Boutwell, Punch Bowl Social
<strong>Entertainment in the skies: </strong>The company's<strong> </strong>outlets combine diner-style food, bowling, karaoke and more. "It was an exciting opportunity to give back to our home state of Colorado," Robert Thompson, founder and CEO of Punch Bowl, tells CNN Travel. Pictured here: the building's transformation in progress.
Entertainment in the skies: The company's outlets combine diner-style food, bowling, karaoke and more. "It was an exciting opportunity to give back to our home state of Colorado," Robert Thompson, founder and CEO of Punch Bowl, tells CNN Travel. Pictured here: the building's transformation in progress.
Amber Boutwell, Punch Bowl Social
<strong>Giving back to Denver: </strong>Punch Bowl is an award-winning, millennial-focused brand with a penchant for creativity and regeneration. "Until we partnered with Punch Bowl Social," says Stone, managing principal of OZ Architecture. "No one had ever brought a feasible idea to the table."
Giving back to Denver: Punch Bowl is an award-winning, millennial-focused brand with a penchant for creativity and regeneration. "Until we partnered with Punch Bowl Social," says Stone, managing principal of OZ Architecture. "No one had ever brought a feasible idea to the table."
Courtesy Amber Boutwell, Punch Bowl Social
<strong>Rewarding challenge: </strong>The reinvention project was a rewarding challenge for Thompson and his team. "Maintaining [the tower's] height and design honors its historic significance, but the height and design was also limiting in some ways, so we needed to develop more creative and unusual ideas for how to use the space," says Rebecca Stone, Managing Principal at OZ Architecture, who worked on the project.
Rewarding challenge: The reinvention project was a rewarding challenge for Thompson and his team. "Maintaining [the tower's] height and design honors its historic significance, but the height and design was also limiting in some ways, so we needed to develop more creative and unusual ideas for how to use the space," says Rebecca Stone, Managing Principal at OZ Architecture, who worked on the project.
Courtesy Amber Boutwell, Punch Bowl Social