Former Beta Nightclub Building Will Be Up for Auction

The building at 1909 Blake Street that once housed Beta Nightclub will be up for auction on September 24.

Beta was embroiled in turmoil with the City of Denver three years ago, when the city ended up revoking the club’s liquor license after club operator Valentes Corleons (legally Hussam Kayali) was accused by Denver's police and fire departments of regularly breaking the law and violating city codes.

It’s been quiet at the property since Walid Maaliki, the owner of Maaliki Motors in Aurora, bought the building in late 2023. Maaliki told Westword that he didn’t want to open a club but hoped to find someone to lease or buy the property; at the time he purchased the building, he had a buyer lined up, he said, but that potential owner ended up dropping out.

Maaliki had purchased the neighboring 1919 Blake Street building from Corleons in January 2023 but almost immediately sold it to Brian Ruden, owner of the Star Buds marijuana dispensary chain. The 1919 building was home to Cabin Tap House, which was also shut down by the city after a fatal shooting occurred shortly before Corleons sold it. The 1919 Blake address will not be a dispensary, however; the city approved licenses for a bar called Sky Lounge in the space last November.

According to an employee at Maaliki Motors, Maaliki is out of the country this week — but Joe Awad, the broker for the 1909 Blake Street property, says the event center and former nightclub property is a great opportunity for the right buyer, which the owners hope to find by way of an auction.

“This decision was made to ensure the property reaches the right kind of seasoned investors, operators and high-caliber buyers who understand and have the vision and credibility to revitalize this prominent site,” Awad says in a statement.

According to Awad, there has been interest from various operators and even offers for the building in the last few months, but “given the property's history and the challenges it has faced, we concluded that these potential buyers were not the right fit for this site.”

Awad and his team believe an auction will attract the quality buyers the property needs, but whoever buys the space will inherit a dual reputation.

From the time Beta opened in 2008 until it temporarily closed in 2019 after 33-year-old Jacob Morton died of an overdose at the club, Beta was known as a top spot for EDM fans locally and nationally. Rolling Stone ranked Beta as the number-one dance club in America in 2013, and Billboard listed the venue as one of the 25 greatest dance clubs of all time in 2015.

Late in 2019, Corleons reopened Beta and transformed it into a hip-hop club. Just two years later, the Denver Police Department began investigating Beta after a series of aggravated assaults outside the club caused serious bodily injury.

Undercover officers were then able to sneak in guns, buy cocaine and deal imitation narcotics at Beta, according to the DPD. An off-duty cop later reported regular gang activity at the club. In September 2021, the Denver City Attorney’s Office filed a public nuisance complaint to try to shut Beta down immediately. In January 2022, the Department of Excise & Licenses revoked Beta’s liquor license, with the club officially declared a public nuisance in county court.

When Maaliki bought the property, the City Attorney’s Office approved the sale and lifted the public nuisance declaration, so anyone who buys the space will be able to apply for a liquor license through the normal city processes.

The auction will be held on Ten-X September 23-25. Bidding starts at $2 million, according to the listing. Maaliki bought the property for $5,555,000 less than a year ago from longtime owner Colman Kahn, who'd leased it to Corleons.