{"id":998,"date":"2014-06-24T12:11:48","date_gmt":"2014-06-24T19:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/?p=998"},"modified":"2014-06-24T12:15:35","modified_gmt":"2014-06-24T19:15:35","slug":"the-lovely-old-girl-comes-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/?p=998","title":{"rendered":"The Lovely Old Girl Comes Alive!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Former Colorado National Bank is transformed into the\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Renaissance Marriott Downtown Denver and<\/strong><\/p>\n

Allen Tupper True\u2019s Murals are Preserved<\/strong><\/p>\n

Report and Photos by Joan True McKibben, <\/em><\/p>\n

Granddaughter of Allen Tupper True<\/em><\/p>\n

Having seen the Colorado National Bank (CNB) building in her saddest state, it was with utter joy that I walked into her lobby filled with people, gleaming marble and my grandfather Allen Tupper True’s murals alive again in vivid color and eliciting excitement and respect from the crowd.\u00a0 It was the opening party of the Renaissance Marriott Downtown Denver (formerly CNB) on the evening of June 5, 2014.\u00a0 I was able to watch the transition during several visits; however, this time was very special.\u00a0 The lobby was filled with those who had invested time; talent and treasure to bring the building back to life\u2014and what a job they did.<\/p>\n

\"Band<\/a>

Band playing on balcony near ATT murals at \u00a0Renaissance Marriott Hotel opening in Denver<\/p><\/div>\n

Music filled the space, heavenly food was available in various corners, and tour guides were plentiful and knowledgeable.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Renaissance Hotel’s History Wall includes an announcement by ATT for one of his exhibits<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Close-Up<\/a>

Close-up of ATT’s “Happy Hunting Ground” mural at the Renaissance Marriott<\/p><\/div>\n

I headed for the History Wall to meet a group of former CNB bank employees on a tour.\u00a0 I introduced myself and we shared stories and memories.<\/p>\n

I wandered down to the floor\u00a0underground\u00a0that has wonderful intimate conference rooms created by the former vault spaces. The original vaults doors have been\u00a0restored to their former gleaming state. The main conference room has been named the Tupper True.<\/p>\n

I headed back to the second floor where I could visit all of the rooms and most importantly get closer to my grandfather\u2019s murals. I could also look down on the lobby and watch guests stretching their necks to see his Indian Memories<\/em> murals.\u00a0 I noticed one Marriott employee quietly standing \u00a0staring at the funeral pyre in Happy Hunting Ground<\/em>\u00a0above the front door intently\u00a0absorbing the mural’s colors and story.<\/p>\n

The required speeches were given, including a nice mention by Mayor Michael Hancock of my grandfather\u2019s work. Prior to his speech, I had thanked him for his efforts to preserve this building when he was serving on the city council.<\/p>\n

Later,\u00a0I thanked\u00a0Navin Dimond, President of Stonebridge Companies (a Denver-based hospitality development firm), \u00a0for all he did to bring CNB back to life.\u00a0 He told me that there were many who wanted to tear her down and build a money making high-rise building. But Navin said that while more money could have been made, nothing would replace the value of this historic site.<\/p>\n

I also was able to chat with architect Alan Colussy of Klipp Architecture\u00a0who expressed such joy that he was able to work alongside Allen True\u2019s murals.<\/p>\n

So, yes, the old girl has been restored and Denver again has a jewel that all can see.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Former Colorado National Bank is transformed into the\u00a0 Renaissance Marriott Downtown Denver and Allen Tupper True\u2019s Murals are Preserved Report and Photos by Joan True McKibben, Granddaughter of Allen Tupper True Having seen the Colorado National Bank (CNB) building in her saddest state, it was with utter joy that I walked into her lobby […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5,23,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=998"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1025,"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998\/revisions\/1025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allentuppertrueanamericanartist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}