Three months ago, the owners of faced a stinky surprise in their downtown Denver basement venue: thousands of gallons of raw sewage that had been released onto their floors in a mishap by a crew on the 16th Street Mall construction project. But the husband-wife pair, Jefferson and Selene Arca, have yet to receive what they say they’re owed — around $75,000 for damages and lost income — from the city or its insurance carrier as their small performance club scrapes by. “Our business has suffered because of the construction,” said Selene Arca, 44.
“Literal crap in our room was kind of like the last straw.” The Clocktower Cabaret has operated along the 16th Street Mall since 2006, partially relying on foot traffic to boost attendance for its burlesque, drag and live music events. But since the city’s mall reconstruction project , the night club on the lower level of the Daniels & Fisher Tower, 1601 Arapahoe St.
, has felt the squeeze on business, as fewer folks navigate the mall. The on the $172.5 million mall renovation has been lengthened from the end of 2024 through much of 2025.
Although it’s moving at a slower pace, the project is making progress: In June, a section between Larimer and Lawrence Streets . The Arcas feel excited about the 16th Street Mall’s revamping, but “our biggest concern is that we’re not going to make it to that point,” Selene Arca said. The sewage incident was discovered on the morning of April 24, when a manager walked into the.