Murals Unveiled and Banquet Room Transformed Into Art Gallery
After years of planning and jumping through government loopholes, the full-scale opening of the Tava House development is now official.
The establishment actually opened its doors late last spring with the lower floor Tava House initially welcoming customers.
Shortly after this occasion, the fine dining eatery upstairs, coined the Firebrand Chophouse, opened up at a later date. Then, to top off the Tava welcoming party, the Bar Above the Clouds also started greeting guests.
However, over the summer, the business was working through a trial period to figure out how the restaurants and banquet areas will operate most efficiently. After using the entire summer season as a trial-and-error period, the business decided to have their official grand opening event on October 17.
The event was highlighted by the official ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the Tava House’s membership to the Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce. After the ribbon was cut by Tava House owners and investors, the festivities shifted towards celebrating a slew of art works locally.
First off, the murals painted on the building’s east side were unveiled. Tava House had commissioned a handful of local artists to paint a variety of murals to add to the aesthetics of the building. Eventgoers had a chance to meet the artists and talk to them about what inspired their giant paintings.
Then Gayle Gross, the owner of Our Reserve Art Gallery in Woodland Park, made an announcement that thrilled local art lovers. The River Room banquet and event area of Tava House will now be double purposed as an art gallery.
Soon art will be hanging on the walls and from the ceiling for everyone to enjoy while they are attending a meeting, wedding reception or another event. People will also be able to purchase artwork from a variety of artists.
Initially, the River Room will display artists from the group that painted the murals. Plans then call for the room to feature works from a variety of artist groups.
During the grand opening ceremony, Tava House CEO President Derek Waggoner outlined the goals of their new business. He reiterated that Tava House wanted to create a nice gathering spot and social hub for the community.
Waggoner started his speech by giving some numbers to reflect on how many people Tava House and Firebrand have already served. “We have served over 50,000 plates of food since May,” Waggoner told the crowd. “We have sold 14,000 beers, 8,000 steaks (with most of them coming from the local PBJ Ranch). We have gone through 600 bottles of wine, and we have delivered 3,500 desserts. And apparently you all have quite a sweet tooth because 900 of those desserts were of our chocolate cake.”
Waggoner also said that Tava House employs around 55 people, with a third of theming live locally in Woodland Park. Moreover, Waggoner said that 150 to 400 people have walked through the doors every day.
Tava House Applauds Former Woodland Park Mayor
During his remarks, Waggoner recognized former Woodland Park Mayor Hilary LaBarre for the effort she and former city council members invested in helping to make the Tava House dream a reality. LaBarre and the council took major steps to change the makeup of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Board so that the development could take place.
“The whole purpose of today was to show everyone with not just words but actual physical form that this is what you get when bureaucracy and government get out of the way,” LaBarre said. “It was really a battle, and we worked really hard to flip the DDA to get members off who were blocking the development here and city employees who also struggled with allowing development to come. And this is a shining example of what can be done in our community.
Next Gayle Gross took the floor to address the addition of the art gallery inside the River Room. The Tava House banquet room will now be added to the Woodland Park Art Walk that takes place on the first Friday of every month.
Gross also was one of the artists who painted a mural on the side of the building. “The River Room is going to be another avenue for us to show art, we already have eight,” Gross said. “Because we don’t have a bunch of art galleries in Woodland Park, but…we do have people who are motivated to show art and to show local art.
People then had a chance to see the new murals up close and personal. The majority of the artists who painted the murals were there to take pictures and answer questions.
One local artist, Julie Cutting, spends much of her free time painting at her home studio with a view of Pikes Peak. Cutting was initially commissioned to paint the fall landscape filled with changing aspen trees and a view of Pikes Peak next to the stairs that lead to the Tava House entrance. She was also asked to come up with a painting that fits sin between the other murals.
“My main inspiration was that I thought that right now it is just so beautiful up here in Woodland Park, the leaves are so pretty, and it really is my favorite time of year because I love the colors,” Cutting said. “When they told me I had one big section and three small sections I thought I could do fall, winter, summer and spring aspens with just a tiny view of Pikes Peak behind it.”
The Tava House Taproom is now open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Firebrand Chophouse is now open Thursday through Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m. with reservations strongly recommended. The Bar Above the Clouds is open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m.
