After 87 years of serving the Denver community and becoming the city’s unofficial jazz headquarters, El Chapultepec at 20th and Market Streets has closed its door permanently.

El Chapultepec, also known as “The Pec,” was the go-to stop for local and touring jazz musicians, hosting performances from Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Wynton Marsalis and Tony Bennet and visits from celebrities including Bill Clinton and Ed Sheeran.

“Krantz family sends our love to all who this decision affects, we did not take it lightly,” said owner Angela Guerrero on Facebook. “The Pec is a living, breathing, member of both our family and the Denver community. … We mourn with you.”

Guerrero said the decision to close was “multifactorial,” though the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the bar’s economic struggles.

Guerrero launched a GoFundMe on March 23, soon after COVID-19 reached Colorado. It raised only $1,630 before closing. Over the summer, El Chapultepec began streaming pre-recorded jazz performances to help raise funds.

Over $1.8 million raised for second round of Colorado outdoor dining fund

Despite recent fundraising efforts, El Chapultepec’s closing came as a shock to most of the Denver community. Countless devastated residents took to social media to express their grief.

“We are all lessened by the passing of this iconic establishment,” said musician John Weeks, who played at El Chapultepec, on Facebook. “It was just one of those special places … Everyone that came in no matter their origins or social status would mix it up, get down and have an amazing time.”

Twitter user James Roberts said he had visited the bar since he was 15 years old. Roberts said the owner would let him loiter by the side doorway to listen to the music since he wasn’t old enough to enter.

“Everyone who loved jazz in Denver had a story about this bar,” Roberts said.

Many online described the bar as “irreplaceable.” In response to the closing, Denver Post reporter John Wenzel wrote on Twitter, “You’re right to wonder if you’re even living in Denver anymore.”

El Chapultepec first opened on July 4, 1933. The bar was run by Jerry Krantz for decades.

Krantz had grown up blocks away from El Chapultepec, often selling newspapers outside of the bar. As an adult, he married into the family that owned El Chapultepec and took over running the bar.

At that time, the bar featured mariachi music before Krantz switched the focus to live jazz music in 1958.

El Chapultepec experienced a revival after Coors Field opened caddy-corner to the bar in 1995, bringing with it an influx of business. Outlasting most businesses in the LoDo neighborhood, El Chapultepec became a symbol for old school Denver and anti-gentrification.

In 2012, Krantz died, leaving ownership to his daughter Guerrero.

Guerrero and other family members will discuss their decision to close during an in-person Q&A Tuesday at noon outside of El Chapultepec.