The lights went out early Monday at The Aspen, Denver's largest hotel-turned shelter in the Central Park neighborhood, leaving hundreds of residents sitting in darkened rooms while staff hustled through hallways to make sure people were safe.
With no power and limited options, city officials started offering bus rides to an overflow warehouse shelter on Seventh Avenue. Many residents, though, chose to stay put while crews tried to fix the problem, and advocates spent the day walking the property, checking on people who rely on air conditioning, medical devices, or regular access to water and medication.
According to Denverite, electricity has been out since Monday morning at The Aspen, a 289-unit Central Park shelter at 4040 Quebec St. The city said it offered rides to 235 guests headed to the Seventh Avenue overflow site, yet most residents remained inside the powerless building. An advocate who visited the backup shelter told the outlet that only five guests chose to stay there overnight.
Shelter Background And Operator
The Aspen opened in 2023 as a city-operated noncongregate shelter after Denver converted a former DoubleTree hotel at 4040 N. Quebec Street. The facility is run by Urban Alchemy under a performance-based contract that ties payments to measurable housing outcomes, an arrangement that drew scrutiny from some council members because of the nonprofit’s record in other cities.
As reported by The Denver Gazette, that contract could pay Urban Alchemy more than $30 million over three years.
Officials And The Restoration Timeline
In a statement to Denverite, Department of Housing Stability spokesperson Julia Marvin said, “The safety of our guests and staff remains our top priority.” She reported that Xcel Energy crews were working to restore service and that the utility expected power to return Tuesday afternoon. A city employee told the outlet that underground power lines had deteriorated and that it was unclear how long repairs would ultimately take.
Advocates Flag Readiness Gaps
Advocates and service providers say the outage puts a spotlight on weak points in Denver’s hotel-shelter strategy. Sites like The Aspen typically do not have backup generators and depend fully on city infrastructure to power cooling systems and medical equipment, a setup that can turn into a serious problem when the grid fails.
The Aspen’s history has already made it a lightning rod for critics. The shelter has been tied to staffing controversies and an unsolved double homicide, turning it into a test case for how the city manages large-scale noncongregate shelters. As reported by Westword, those concerns have fueled calls for clearer emergency procedures and stronger oversight.
Advocates now say they plan to press officials for a full review of contingency plans after the power failure. The Department of Housing Stability has said it will share more information as it becomes available. Crews continued work on repairs on Tuesday, and outreach workers and advocates prepared to check back in with residents in the days ahead.
