BAR: D&F CLOCKTOWER
The top of the 16th Street Mall’s D&F Clocktower isn’t a bar exactly — but it’s a great place to have a drink or throw a party. The top five floors of the Denver landmark are owned by Denver’s Holly Kylberg, and she’s been busy the past 18 months fixing the place up, making it shine again after it sat empty for 50 of its 100 years. Modeled after the Campanile at the Piazza San Marco in Venice, the tower houses a 2 1/2-ton bell that rings every 30 minutes. Check it out at .
GRILLED: HOLLY KYLBERG
Holly Kylberg is a stylish socialite who, although somewhat shy, doesn’t shy from the moniker. Always decked out, she makes an entrance that doesn’t go unnoticed. She grew up a small-town girl in Illinois, graduated from Southern Illinois University, then moved to Denver to be near her brothers. She married media exec Rich Kylberg in 1993; they were divorced earlier this year. Kylberg, who declined to give her age, is obsessed with the clock tower, which played a part in Denver’s past, as well as, she hopes, in its future. Gourmet Fine Catering fixes us martinis at the small bar on the 20th floor.
BH: Some people think you live up here.
Kylberg: I know. The old lady in the clock tower. But it would be beautiful, with these views.
BH: You’re going to be up here for New Year’s Eve?
Kylberg: Yes. I am invited to a party here. That’s the beauty of owning a space like this. You get to go to a lot of parties.
BH: Many people call New Year’s Eve “amateur night.”
Kylberg: I know. And there is so much pressure to stay up late. And that song is so sad. It’s a strange holiday in that you look back on the last year and what you did wrong, and you look forward to what you might do right. It’s never been one of my favorite holidays, to tell the truth.
BH: And as they say, nothing interesting happens after midnight.
Kylberg: I would agree.
BH: Will you wear a funny hat?
Kylberg: Probably not.
BH: Where were you last New Year’s?
Kylberg: Buenos Aires. It’s interesting how the night brings everybody together in so many cultures.
BH: Will you drink too much?
Kylberg: We all occasionally drink too much. But, no, I won’t.
BH: Do you have a New Year’s resolution?
Kylberg: I wish I was more punctual. And there is a lot of irony here, not being punctual and owning a clock tower. It has made me obsessed with the concept of time. And I want to be more present in my life.
BH: Do you believe in time travel?
Kylberg: Not at all. You?
BH: Absolutely.
Kylberg: That’s weird, Bill.
BH: How was 2009 for you?
Kylberg: It was challenging. I am now divorced.
BH: Do you like being single?
Kylberg: I haven’t had a lot of time to be single. I’ve been working on (the clock tower) project. It’s where I have put all my energy.
BH: You were married a pretty long time.
Kylberg: Sixteen years. We were together for 20; that’s the majority of my life.
BH: How did you end up owning the clock tower?
Kylberg: I was always intrigued with it. I always looked up and wondered what was up here. In 2001, my husband called me and said I would not believe this property he found. I always knew it was my destiny to be here.
BH: What don’t you like about yourself?
Kylberg: I tend to brood.
BH: What don’t you like about your appearance?
Kylberg: My stomach.
BH: What’s your idea of happiness?
Kylberg: To slow down, maybe to travel.
BH: Where do you like to visit?
Kylberg: My favorite country by far is Italy. Rome, Florence, Venice. I get homesick when I am not there, even though I have no Italian in me at all.
BH: What are you most comfortable wearing?
Kylberg: I like to wear dresses. When I am home I’m probably in workout shorts. But I don’t own sweats. I hate sweats, I would never go out in sweats. I don’t believe in that.
BH: Do you work out?
Kylberg: Not in a long time. But I am here every day, so I climb a lot of stairs.
BH: What about food?
Kylberg: I am from the Midwest, so my motto is, “If you fry it, I’ll try it.”
BH: Restaurants?
Kylberg: I am down here so much, I usually go to Biker Jim’s (Gourmet Dogs) across the street.
BH: What’s your current state of mind?
Kylberg: I feel that I have a lot to be thankful for.
BH: Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?
Kylberg: That’s what’s good about being a Thanksgiving orphan. You go to a lot of people’s houses and eat a lot of meals.
BH: And you don’t have to do the dishes.
Kylberg: I hate doing the dishes.
BH: What do you fear?
Kylberg: Spiders. My brothers used to put them in my hair.
BH: Overrated virtue?
Kylberg: Modesty.
BH: Reading?
Kylberg: Not so much lately; my life has been so scattered.
BH: Music?
Kylberg: I am addicted to DeVotchKa.
BH: What’s your most precious possession?
Kylberg: The medal I have for finishing the New York Marathon four years ago.
BH: How did you do that?
Kylberg: I am very open to suggestion.
BH: Your motto?
Kylberg: Don’t do what you don’t want to do.
Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Bill Husted: 303-954-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com.
