LoDo landlords look to sweeten downtown with Museum of Ice Cream
Dan Huml wants to go from Formula One to frozen dessert The head of Magnetic Capital which developed the new F Arcade in RiNo is eyeing the Museum of Ice Cream as another big-city concept to bring to Denver The attraction is not a traditional museum but instead offers unlimited ice cream and desserts in a series of Instagram-friendly and pink-heavy playscapes including what it calls a sprinkle pool according to its website It operates in Boston Chicago New York Miami and Singapore according to its website Locations are in the works in Las Vegas and Orlando Huml explained Denver s Downtown Rise Authority a city affiliate that has million in bond dollars to spend on revitalizing downtown that the MOIC has signed a letter of intent to lease - Sector St for years Huml bought the Arena building in The Sector building is owned by Urban Frontier a fellow Denver real estate firm Urban Frontier led by Garrett Baum would go in with Huml s Magnetic Capital to redevelop the buildings for the MOIC per the application to the DDA which was obtained by BusinessDen after being partially redacted by the city In an October application Huml and Baum reported the project would cost million They requested the DDA to chip in million toward that and indicated that the remaining financing was already secured Preponderance DDA funding informed to date has come as loans MOIC will serve as a permanent year-round immersive attraction that blends art retail and food facility to drive tourism and foot traffic downtown the pair explained They reported that Huml s building has been vacant for more than seven years and that Baum s building is partially occupied but has struggled primarily due to the configuration of the ground floor stairwell at the entrance of the building Huml Baum and the MOIC did not respond to requests for comment The MOIC first opened as a pop-up in New York in and expanded to other cities as a temporary attraction before opening permanent locations including a New York flagship in Ticket prices there vary by date and time but are often in the to range according to the attraction s website There s also a more expensive VIP ticket option The LoDo location would have a cafe and retail space that would be accessible to nonticket holders Huml and Baum s application states In their bid for DDA dollars Huml and Baum commented the MOIC could help city leaders in their bid to make downtown family-friendly But the spot isn t just for kids Existing locations also serve alcohol and the MOIC s website encourages guests to reconnect with your inner child Huml and Baum touted that the attraction becomes one of the preponderance Instagrammed attractions in every city it enters Related Articles Skoolie fabricator split by owner s theft assertions against other owner Outdoor Voices founder says strength drink investor cost her Target deal Ballpark architecture firm decamping to Santa Fe Drive Fitness studio and spa limits hours could close location amid regulatory ambiguity Bank forecloses on office building off Leetsdale The DDA board which has approved million in spending since July has yet to discuss the Museum of Ice Cream in a population meeting Huml paid million for the -square-foot building at Arena in April records show The Chicago native has done a host of local projects since moving to Denver less than a decade ago In RiNo in addition to progressing F Arcade he is also behind the Federales restaurant building at Larimer St the now-closed Sonder hotel at Larimer St and the Brewdog building at Wynkoop St He and Magnetic Capital managing partner Chris Carroll are also wrapping up an office building in Cherry Creek Baum bought the -square-foot Domain building for million in records show He also owns several adjacent buildings that wouldn t be part of the project Baum founded his firm Urban Frontier with Bill Branyan in according to the company s website Read more from our partner BusinessDen Get more business news by signing up for our Market system Now newsletter
