The 1Up Arcade Bar has closed the doors to its original Denver location after 15 years, but the games are far from over.
The Colorado-born arcade bar announced on its website that its longtime Blake Street location in LoDo has closed as the company gets ready for its next chapter in Lakewood.
This fall, The 1up will open at the Belmar Shopping District, taking over the former Lucky Strike space. At more than 13,000 square feet, the location will be the largest the company has opened to date.
Plans call for The 1up’s biggest collection yet of arcade games, pinball machines, redemption games and other attractions. The company also plans to keep some of the underground feel that became part of the original LoDo location’s identity.
The move comes 15 years after The 1up opened its first location in March 2011. What began as a collection of classic arcade games and pinball machines paired with a full-service bar went on to become Colorado’s first arcade bar.
The Blake Street location also played host to major gaming events over the years, including The Kong Off 2 and The Kong Off 3, which brought top competitive Donkey Kong players to Denver.
While the LoDo chapter has ended, The 1up isn’t leaving the Denver area. Its Colfax, Greenwood Village and Westminster locations remain open, with Lakewood set to join the lineup later this year.
The company pointed to changing conditions in Downtown Denver and growing financial pressures in the hospitality industry as factors behind the decision to close the original location.
