It’s game over for Colorado’s first arcade-bar as The 1up LoDo pulls the plug on its pinball machines and video game cabinets for the last time.
The spot, which billed itself as the first of its kind in the state, ceased operations on Monday, June 22, in anticipation of a 13,000-square-foot 1up location opening in Lakewood’s Belmar development.
“Our new home will occupy the former Lucky Strike space, at 415 Teller St. in Lakewood, and preserve much of the underground atmosphere that made the original LoDo location so memorable,” the . “It will be the largest 1up Arcade Bar we have ever built and will feature our most extensive collection of arcade games, pinball machines, redemption games, and attractions to date.”
The company decided to close the LoDo location at 1926 Blake St. in Denver, due to “the combination of changing conditions in downtown Denver and the increasing financial pressures facing the hospitality industry made it clear that it was time for the next chapter,” they wrote.
The original 1up opened on March 23, 2011, as the first full-service bar with a large collection of vintage video game cabinets, pinball machines, modest Skee-Ball lanes, and oversized Jenga blocks. A popular stop-off before and after Rockies games, concerts and downtown festivals, its subterranean lair became a reliable draw in a neighborhood otherwise dominated by TV-plastered sports bars and trendy, short-lived nightclubs.
“Today, gaming has become a major part of the hospitality landscape, and while the industry has evolved in countless ways, we are incredibly proud to have helped pioneer that movement here in Colorado,” owners wrote. “While our original location has closed, The 1up Arcade Bar is not going away. Our Colfax, Greenwood Village, and Westminster locations remain open and will continue serving the communities that have supported them for years.”
The closure hits just as two other LoDo businesses shutter, including the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery on 16th and Curtis streets, and Church and Union on 17th Street, one of four restaurants from Jamie Lynch of “Top Chef” fame.
