Regency Hotel

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The former Regency Hotel's famous gold dome during a fire. Image from Denver's 7 News.

The Regency Hotel was a hotel in Denver, Colorado. Built in the 1960s to serve as a regional convention center, it was famous locally for its large gold dome and the luxury of the rooms within. A lack of business pushed the Regency into neglect, however, and it became known as a dangerous and unclean location.

Transients regularly occupied rooms, the hotel becoming a substitute for low-income housing. Residents were forced to move in April of 2004 when a district court declared the building an extreme fire hazard. The owner, citing financial difficulty, failed to comply with the updates and renovations required by state building codes. The ruling displaced approximately 110 residents, the majority receiving temporary relocation assistance from the Denver Department of Human Services.

In 2005, a private developer purchased the Regency Hotel. Seeking to create a student housing facility for the nearby Auraria Higher Education Center, he ordered a series of renovations. After substantial investment, the building now offers housing to 700 students.