Broadway Plaza
Broadway Plaza was a Denver, Colorado, mixed-use shopping complex developed as an ambitious high-end retail destination and later repurposed for medical, educational, office, and big-box retail uses.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Broadway Plaza was a mixed-use retail and commercial complex near the intersection of Broadway and Alameda Avenue in Denver, Colorado. Conceived during the high-growth real-estate climate of the 1980s, it was intended to transform a working-class and formerly industrial area into a prestigious shopping destination. The project was developed under the leadership of Denver real-estate developer Allan S. Reiver and his company, Realities, Inc., with former Atlantic Richfield Company chief executive Robert O. Anderson involved as a partner. Its most prominent commercial commitment was Printemps, the French department-store company, which selected Broadway Plaza for what was intended to be its first North American expansion location. The site had a much older commercial and recreational history. From 1922 it was associated with Merchants Park, a sports arena that hosted the Denver Bears baseball team. Merchants Park Shopping Center later opened in 1951, followed by stores including Walgreen Drugs, Miller's Supermarket, and Joslin's Department Store. A large Montgomery Ward warehouse and retail complex stood north of the site, while the Denver Tramway Company's South Division Car Barn occupied nearby land. Broadway Plaza represented a major redevelopment of this established but unevenly performing commercial district. The planned project combined three principal elements: the Printemps department store and an International Collection of boutique retailers, the Denver Design Center, and an office building adapted from part of the Montgomery Ward complex. Construction and opening activity took place in 1986. Printemps opened on November 6, 1987, initially attracting substantial attention and visitor traffic. The International Collection, however, experienced store closures even before the department store opened, despite some retailers receiving free rent as an inducement to participate. As the novelty of the project faded, the complex struggled to attract enough customers for its premium merchandise and location. A double-decker bus service was introduced to connect the property with downtown Denver, but the department store closed in April 1989 after approximately 16 months of operation. Broadway Plaza's difficulties also became entangled with its financing. In mid-1988, while Printemps was weakening and vacancies were increasing, Hill Financial's Red Hill Savings division forced Reiver to relinquish control of the development. A new partnership, Western Equities, acquired Reiver's interest and renamed the project Broadway InterPlaza. The investment was among those associated with the later savings-and-loan failure of Hill Financial. Attempts to sell the Denver Printemps franchise and potential future United States store rights were unsuccessful. After Printemps closed, its large space briefly served as an event center before being occupied by Quest Diagnostics, which uses the building as a medical testing laboratory. Part of the former International Collection was later used by the culinary-arts program of the Art Institute of Colorado. The Montgomery Ward building was demolished on February 14, 1993. Redevelopment of that portion began the same year as Broadway Marketplace, developed initially by Homart, the real-estate arm of Sears, with assistance from the Denver Urban Renewal Authority. Broadway Marketplace introduced a more conventional big-box retail mix, including Kmart, OfficeMax, Sam's Club, and an Albertsons grocery store that was later replaced or rebranded as Safeway. Kmart closed in March 2017. The broader area has also been incorporated into longer-term urban-planning proposals. In 2009, the Denver City Council approved a General Development Plan for the Denver Design District, under which D4 Urban LLC was to pursue a transit-oriented development covering the original Broadway Plaza area and adjacent properties southwest of Broadway and Alameda Avenue. A notable surviving feature is Herbert Bayer's Articulated Wall, a large sculpture bordering Interstate 25. Dedicated in July 1995, the work belongs to the Denver Art Museum. Broadway Plaza is therefore best understood not as a continuing conventional department-store brand, but as a changing Denver commercial district whose identity has passed through sporting, neighborhood-retail, luxury-retail, medical, educational, and redevelopment phases.
History
The Broadway Plaza site has served several different commercial and civic functions. Beginning in 1922, Merchants Park operated as a sports arena and was associated with the Denver Bears baseball team. The area later became Merchants Park Shopping Center, which opened in 1951. Its early tenants included Walgreen Drugs, Miller's Supermarket, and Joslin's Department Store, while a major Montgomery Ward warehouse and retail operation stood to the north. Nearby transportation infrastructure included the Denver Tramway Company's South Division Car Barn. Denver developer Allan S. Reiver later proposed replacing the established retail pattern with a much larger and more ambitious mixed-use project. Through Realities, Inc., he arranged a contract to develop Printemps locations in the United States and worked with Robert O. Anderson to bring the French department store to Denver. Land for the project was purchased in 1984 with financing connected to Red Hill Savings, a division of Hill Financial. Broadway Plaza was planned around three components: Printemps and the International Collection of specialty stores, the Denver Design Center, and office space created through renovation of the Montgomery Ward complex. The complex opened in late 1986. The luxury-retail concept immediately faced challenges. Numerous International Collection stores closed by late 1987, even though some had received free rent before Printemps opened. Printemps itself opened on November 6, 1987, and initially generated significant traffic. As patronage weakened, operators introduced a double-decker shuttle bus linking the property with downtown Denver. The store closed in April 1989, after roughly 16 months. Contemporary retail assessments attributed the failure to the combination of expensive merchandise and an unsuitable location; Cherry Creek Shopping Center was widely viewed as a stronger potential site for the retailer. Financial pressure developed alongside the retail problems. In mid-1988, Hill Financial's Red Hill Savings division caused Reiver to sell his interest in the project and the Printemps store to Western Equities. The development was renamed Broadway InterPlaza. The Broadway Plaza investment was later identified as one of the investments contributing to Hill Financial's savings-and-loan failure. Following Printemps's departure, the department-store building was briefly used as an event center and subsequently occupied by Quest Diagnostics as a medical testing laboratory. Some of the International Collection space was adapted for the culinary-arts program of the Art Institute of Colorado. The former Montgomery Ward building was demolished on February 14, 1993, and redevelopment began that year as Broadway Marketplace. Initially developed by Homart, Sears's real-estate development arm, together with the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, Broadway Marketplace introduced large-format retailers including Kmart, OfficeMax, Sam's Club, and Albertsons, later associated with Safeway. The district's later planning was linked to the Denver Design District. In 2009, Denver City Council approved a General Development Plan under which D4 Urban LLC would pursue a transit-oriented development covering the original Broadway Plaza area and adjacent properties. The name Denver Design District was already used for the Denver Design Center portion of the area. The complex also retains a significant public-art feature: Herbert Bayer's Articulated Wall, dedicated in July 1995 and held by the Denver Art Museum. Because the property has passed through multiple ownership and use arrangements, the present status of Broadway Plaza as a unified operating brand is unclear.
- 2017
Kmart closes
[1]The Kmart location at Broadway Marketplace closes in March.
- 2009
Denver Design District plan approved
[1]Denver City Council approves a general development plan for a proposed transit-oriented redevelopment of the area.
- 1995
Articulated Wall dedicated
[1]Herbert Bayer's Articulated Wall is dedicated at the complex beside Interstate 25.
- 1993
Broadway Marketplace redevelopment begins
[1]The former Montgomery Ward portion is demolished and redevelopment begins with Homart and the Denver Urban Renewal Authority.
- 1989
Printemps closes
[1]The anchor department store closes in April after a short operating period.
- 1988
Project renamed Broadway InterPlaza
[1]Western Equities takes over the project after Reiver loses control and changes its name to Broadway InterPlaza.
- 1987
Printemps opens
[1]Printemps launches its Denver department store on November 6.
- 1986
Broadway Plaza opens
[1]The new complex opens with retail, design, and office components.
- 1984
Land acquired for Broadway Plaza
[1]Allan S. Reiver's development effort acquires land for the planned luxury-oriented mixed-use complex.
- 1951
Merchants Park Shopping Center opens
[1]The site transitions from a sports venue to a neighborhood shopping center.
Products and positioning
Originally positioned as an upscale, internationally oriented shopping and mixed-use destination in Denver, Broadway Plaza later shifted toward adaptive reuse and conventional value-oriented retail after the failure of its luxury retail strategy.
Department store · 1987
Printemps
Printemps was the signature tenant and principal attraction of Broadway Plaza's original luxury-retail strategy. The French department store opened on November 6, 1987, as its first North American location. It initially attracted strong traffic, but the combination of premium pricing, a difficult location, and weakening interest caused the store to close in April 1989 after approximately 16 months.
Boutique retail district · 1986
International Collection
The International Collection was Broadway Plaza's planned group of specialty boutiques surrounding the Printemps anchor. It was designed to reinforce the complex's international and upscale positioning. Many smaller retailers closed by late 1987, before or around the opening period of Printemps, despite rent incentives intended to attract tenants.
Design trade center · 1986
Denver Design Center
The Denver Design Center formed one of the three planned elements of Broadway Plaza. It supplied the project with a design-industry and commercial-use component distinct from its consumer retail stores. The Denver Design District name later became associated with the broader area and was already in use for the Design Center portion.
Big-box retail center · 1993
Broadway Marketplace
Broadway Marketplace emerged from redevelopment of the former Montgomery Ward portion of the site beginning in 1993. Developed initially by Homart with the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, it adopted a conventional large-format retail mix that included Kmart, OfficeMax, Sam's Club, and Albertsons, later associated with Safeway.
Controversies
1988
Financial distress and loss of developer control
As Printemps declined and vacancies increased, Hill Financial's Red Hill Savings division forced Allan S. Reiver to sell his interest in Broadway Plaza. The investment was later described as one contributing to Hill Financial's savings-and-loan failure.
Brand decisions
1993
Conversion to Broadway MarketplaceStrategyBackground
The original luxury-oriented project had lost its department-store anchor and the Montgomery Ward building was no longer retained.
Action taken
Homart and the Denver Urban Renewal Authority began redevelopment toward a big-box retail center.
Aftermath
The property moved away from international luxury retail toward large-format everyday shopping.
1988
Renaming and ownership restructuringStrategyBackground
The project faced high vacancies and a deteriorating anchor-store situation while its financing came under pressure.
Action taken
Western Equities acquired Reiver's interest and renamed the development Broadway InterPlaza.
Aftermath
The site continued under changing ownership and was subsequently repurposed into a mixture of medical, educational, office, and conventional retail uses.
1984
Pursuit of an upscale international retail destinationStrategyBackground
Developer Allan S. Reiver sought to establish a prestigious shopping complex in an area with working-class and industrial characteristics.
Action taken
Realities, Inc. arranged a contract to develop Printemps locations in the United States and made Printemps the intended anchor of Broadway Plaza.
Aftermath
The luxury positioning produced initial attention but proved difficult to sustain at the location.
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