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Double D space back on market

Janet Urquhart
Aspen Times Staff Writer

The former Double Diamond nightclub space is back on the market after plans for a new nightspot officially fizzled last week.

The basement space at 450 S. Galena St. is for sale for $2 million and available for lease for $15,000 a month, said landlord Bob Bowden.

The property was listed at the end of last week, but Bowden said he has already had initial talks with prospective takers who have some “interesting ideas” for the space.



Bowden said he has set up a team to assess the property’s condition today. Duke’s, the new club that never opened, was in the middle of an interior renovation.

“It’s not very presentable, but it won’t take us long to get it in shape,” Bowden said.




Meanwhile, the contractor who performed work inside the club is now suing Duke’s owner Larry Marks for payment.

Marks announced plans in October to open Duke’s where the old Double D had been a mainstay in Aspen’s live music scene for more than a decade. Duke’s was to be an upscale club with music provided primarily by DJs, with an occasional band.

But Marks’ application for transfer of the Double D liquor license was rejected by the Aspen Liquor Licensing Authority in December, and the envisioned holiday opening never came to pass.

Building code violations remaining from the Double Diamond’s tenure had not been rectified when it was last inspected in December, and chief building inspector Stephen Kanipe refused to grant it the certificate of occupancy that would allow Duke’s to open.

Without the certificate, the liquor board refused to grant the liquor license. In addition, board members also noted questions with the license application that they wanted answered.

No follow-up inspection of the interior has been requested or conducted, Kanipe said Friday, but the building inspector said he believes the exterior stairs have been replaced.

Fire marshal Ed Van Walraven said he also has not been called back to do a final inspection.

Bowden said he doesn’t know whether the space has been brought up to code or not.

The contractor hired by Marks to make repairs contends that it has.

On Friday, both Marks and Dukes Entertainment LLC were served with a summons for trial in Pitkin County Small Claims Court. According to the lawsuit, Aspen-based CM Developers LLC and owner Chris Morrow claim they were hired by Marks for construction work at the nightclub.

Morrow claims that $6,467 in work was completed, “bringing the nightclub into compliance with building codes,” but Marks has not paid the bill for the work. Morrow is also asking that interest and court costs be awarded to him; a trial is set for Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 2:30 p.m.

The owners of the space also sued Marks for allegedly failing to pay rent for the club, after signing a one-year lease in September. A scheduled trial was averted last week when Marks agreed to relinquish the space; the remaining issue of liability for the lease was not resolved.

Naomi Havlen contributed to this report.

Janet Urquhart’s e-mail address is janet@aspentimes.com

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