Alamo Placita

Chronology of FireHouse Car Wash

Jun 01, 1998

1924-1996. The red brick building located at Sixth Avenue and Corona Street was built about 1924 as a garage for the storage and repair of automobiles. It was surrounded on all sides by residential structures. All storage and repair of cars was confined to the interior of the red brick garage building, so that there was a minimal impact on the surrounding neighborhood. When Denver's Zoning Code was comprehensively rewritten in 1955-56, the garage building was zoned B-2. While such a garage would not have been permitted in a B-2 zone, the operators of the garage were granted permission to continue operating the garage as a "grandfathered" nonconforming use.

1966. In late 1966, Richard A. Kates leased the garage building at Sixth and Corona, with an option to purchase the property. He applied for and received a use permit allowing him to use the garage building as a "nonconforming coin operated car wash." A car wash is a B-3 use, and therefore not permitted in a B-2 district, but in view of the former nonconforming use of the property, continuation of this use was "grandfathered" under the Zoning Code.

1967. Mr. Kates purchased and demolished the brick home at 576 Ogden Street. Prior to its demolition, this house had been used continuously as a private residence, although zoned B-2. On April 10, 1967, Mr. Kates applied for a zoning permit to use this property for an "automobile gasoline filling station." Since a filling station is permitted B-2 use, Zoning granted the permit. Neither Mr. Kates' application nor the city's permit mentioned any contemplated use of this property other than as a filling station. The plan submitted by Mr. Kates with his application made no mention of the Car Wash. Nevertheless, Mr. Kates immediately began using the property at 576 Ogden Street as the entrance way to funnel cars into the Car Wash. This was the Car Wash's first expansion of its nonconforming business beyond its legal boundaries at Sixth and Corona.

1972-1980. In 1972, Mr. Kates purchased the next house south on Ogden Street, numbered 566 Ogden.