Anticipation is building over the reopening of The Palm Restaurant in the Westin Downtown Denver Thursday at 11 a.m. after being closed for a major .
The bar is expanded, with about 50 seats and a lounge, and there are new private dining rooms plus a colorful Colorado mural by Philadelphia artist Zack Bird, whose family has created art for The Palm Restaurants across the country for decades.
He’s created a 44-foot mural of Colorado that wraps around the walls, featuring the Denver skyline, mountains, cowboys and “a profound nod to Western artist Maynard Dixon,” said Bird.
But what locals really want to know is about those caricatures — nearly 900 drawings of local and national celebrating who’ve eaten there.
“They’re all gone, there’s not one left,” said general manger Cathy Cooney. “We’re starting fresh.”
The remodel — needed to refresh the restaurant after two decades — means all the images were taken down, and most of the new caricatures will be done by a local artist.
“Over time, we’ll try to get everyone back on the wall,” she said.
On opening day, they hope to have about 15 to 20 caricatures on the wall. But they’ll look much different.
“They used to be floating heads,” she said.
The new images will have “a story behind it,” she said.
No more floating heads, but a full image that captures a quality that person is known for.
“Dan Ritchie is in a cap and gown,” she said of the Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Denver.
Beyond that, details are sparse.
“We didn’t want to upset anyone,” said Cooney. “We had to try to decide who goes up first, and who goes next to who, if they don’t like each other.”
“Making the wall” has become a point of pride in the Palm restaurants across the country, a tradition that dates back to 1926, when The Palm Restaurant opened in Manhattan on Second Avenue near the office of King Features Syndicate and drew a large crowd of cartoonists. They’d often draw their own creations on the walls of The Palm in exchange for their dinner.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Governor John Hickenlooper will be on the wall for opening day, Cooney said.
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or @coconnordp
