Sitting vacant for almost 20 years, the former Stapleton International Airport air traffic control tower had always been a beacon for the city. The original building was three stories of office, plus the tower. To covert it to a Punch Bowl Social took 3 years and an addition totaling 5,600 square feet.

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As the last remaining building of the entire Stapleton International Airport, our design team fully embraced the history of air travel based on the year the tower was built, 1962. At the height of mid-century modern design and the glamorous, golden age of aviation, the concept was easily defined. 

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As much of the original building was kept as possible - existing pre-cast concrete panels, which were popped off to add new structure during construction, were then re-attached are now inside the building. Baggage tags that had been collected by a Stapleton Airport employee clad the restroom partitions in the 1st level Restrooms and in the diner, if you push together the tables, the graphics on the tabletops create the Stapleton Airport runway map.​​ The host stand is a vintage travel trunk and the light fixture above is constructed using vintage plane dials. The air travel and mid-mod style is apparent throughout the space.

*While at OZ Architecture