One of Denver's most creative restaurant projects will close permanently.

Punch Bowl Social Stapleton, an air traffic control tower-turned-restaurant, will not reopen at 3120 Uinta Street after closing its doors on March 15 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Back in March 2015, Punch Bowl Social founder Robert Thompson announced his plans to turn the abandoned Stapleton International Airport air traffic control tower into an entertainment center and restaurant. After three years and millions of dollars in construction, Punch Bowl Social Stapleton opened in November 2017. The new establishment had multiple bars, dining areas, karaoke rooms, bowling alleys, and ample space for games like shuffleboard, darts, foosball, and arcade games.

However, the restaurant had to close its doors during the pandemic and after difficulties with lease negotiations, the building is now vacant. "In this new reality, landlords cannot expect to maintain status-quo economic terms that were negotiated in pre-pandemic times," Thompson said in a statement.

"We appreciate that landlords are trying to ensure the success of their businesses, however, we were unable to reach satisfactory new terms to move forward with our Stapleton, Colorado and Schaumburg, Illinois landlord. As such, we determined it was in Punch Bowl Social’s best interest to sever ties. We will not be re-opening either of the locations but are looking forward to welcoming guests in the future to our original downtown Denver - South Broadway and downtown Chicago - West Loop locations which serve both of those markets."

Even though Punchbowl Social Stapleton permanently closes its doors, the company plans to reopen its main location at 65 South Broadway, which has also been closed since the state ordered all restaurants to close on-premises dining back in March.

Thompson added that when the company reopens across the country, "we will do so smartly and with partners who are in it with us. Moving forward, we will only be working with landlords with whom we can establish suitable and mutually beneficial terms."

In the past eight years, Thompson has grown the brand of Punch Bowl Social and expanded to more than 15 locations throughout the country.

An exact date for reopening the location on Broadway or how it will be different for customers has not been released yet.

Are you sad to see Punch Bowl Social Stapleton closing its doors permanently? Share your thoughts in the comments below.