Famous Denver Sports Castle Gets New Life at 100 Years Old

There are iconic Colorado structures that are so obviously Colorado. Mile High Stadium. Coors Field, the Denver Capitol building, Union Station, the cash register building, Casa Bonita and so many more.

If you're of a certain age, there are far more that only live in memories and pics online. Like Celebrity Sports Center (RIP). But another one in particular recently caught my eye: the old Denver Sports Castle.

The birthplace of "SNIAGRAB," which again - with apologies to our newer Colorado residents - you probably have no idea what I'm talking about.

SNIAGRAB was "bargains" spelled backwards, and was an annual before season ski sale started by Colorado sporting goods powerhouse Gart Bros. back in 1954, lasting through their eventual merger and takeover by Sports Authority in 2003.

READ MORE: Remember These 7 Events That Made Fort Collins Famous? 

Gart Bros. itself, long before SNIAGRAB, was launched back in 1928. They were THE sporting goods store in Colorado forever, even with a location at College and Mulberry in Fort Collins, in what is now Lucky's Market.

They eventually purchased an iconic Chrysler car dealership building at 10th Ave and Broadway in Denver that would then become forever be known as "The Sports Castle."

It was a glorious site in the 80s and 90s, where you could get lost inside for days of this massive, historic building filled to the brim with ski gear, sports equipment and just... stuff. 35,000 square feet of stuff across three floors.

When Sports Authority went bust in 2016, aside from hosting some private and a few public events, the Sports Castle has gone dormant pretty much ever since. Until now.

Seattle-based Evo - an outdoor sports equipment retailer - has announced their plans to revitalize the space in partnership with the building's owner, opening a regional hub in the building, offering event space and more.

If you've spent a few decades in Colorado and want to take a stroll down memory lane, you can have a look inside the Sports Castle via the website of the company that rents it out as event space.