One of downtown Denver’s emptiest corners could soon look a lot more like a sci-fi funhouse than a dead storefront.
Immersive Empire, an experiential entertainment operator, has applied to the Downtown Development Authority for $450,000 to turn a long-vacant space at Tabor Center into a new attraction on the 16th Street Mall. The plan calls for mirror mazes, simulators, and a six-sided “metaverse” theater in a street-level spot near the Daniels & Fisher clock tower.
The company is asking the DDDA for $450,000 toward an estimated $2.3 million buildout at 1147 16th St. According to BusinessDen, the filing outlines an admission model that gives each guest a single turn at every attraction and frames the downtown venue as Immersive Empire’s second location.
How the DDDA Review Works
The DDDA is tapping voter-authorized bond funds to jump-start ground-floor retail and entertainment along 16th Street, prioritizing projects that fill dark windows and pull in daily foot traffic. As laid out in a presentation on Legistar, applications are vetted by staff and an evaluation committee before recommendations head to the DDDA board, with larger awards then routed to the City Council.
The same presentation notes the authority has up to $570 million in recently authorized bond proceeds to pour into downtown projects, a war chest city leaders hope will help turn space back into something people actually want to visit.
What the Buildout Would Include
The Tabor Center concept would feature what the application bills as Colorado’s first permanent mirror maze with an infinity room, along with a high-end glass golf simulator, a horror-themed experiential photo booth, robotic vending, and a six-sided immersive metaverse theater. According to BusinessDen, the total project cost is pegged at about $2.3 million, and the storefront clocks in at roughly 5,500 square feet.
The filing says ticketed entry and streetside seating are meant to help “animate” the Mall, with people spilling out toward nearby shops instead of just hustling past another dark window.
From Bounce Empire to Downtown
The team behind the proposal also operates Bounce Empire, a 50,000-square-foot inflatable amusement park in Lafayette, and has opened an Immersive Empire outpost there this month. Coverage of the Lafayette location describes multiple attractions and lists admission at about $24, and the owners say that the site is serving as a prototype for the downtown concept, according to Yellow Scene Magazine.
Next Steps
Before any public money changes hands, the DDDA has to run the proposal through its standard review process, with staff checks and an evaluation committee recommendation moving to the board, as outlined on Legistar. Larger awards are forwarded to City Council, but because this request comes in under the DDDA’s $500,000 threshold for automatic Council review, it is likely to be decided through the authority’s usual committee and board process in the weeks ahead.
If the deal gets a green light, the Tabor Center venue would join a growing roster of experiential projects the DDDA is helping bankroll in an effort to bring some life back to the 16th Street Mall.
