Former Sunbird Restaurant in Colorado Springs targeted as new wedding, event center site
Former Sunbird Restaurant in Colorado Springs targeted as new wedding, event center site The High Garden, as the new venue will be called, will offer 16,000 square feet to accommodate weddings, corporate gatherings, baby showers and other events, said Colt Haugen, chief operating officer and co-owner of the Springs-based WickedThink advertising agency. A limited liability company formed by Haugen, WickedThink CEO Kim Shugart — a longtime marketing and communications executive and co-founder of the Magnum Shooting Center in the Springs — and Shugart's son Mike, a WickedThink vice president, paid nearly $1.8 million in May 2021 for the former Sunbird property, according to El Paso County land records. Since their purchase, Haugen said he and the Shugarts have worked to develop a vision for the venue — soliciting input from wedding planners, photographers, caterers and others in the event industry. "It's a beautiful opportunity for the city of Colorado Springs," Haugen said.
Published : 2 years ago by Rich Laden [email protected] in
The former Sunbird Restaurant, perched on a hillside in northwest Colorado Springs and which was a go-to spot for food, family gatherings and majestic views for more than 40 years until it closed in 2018, will be torn down and replaced by a state-of-the-art wedding and event center, under a proposal by a trio of local businessmen.
The High Garden, as the new venue will be called, will offer 16,000 square feet to accommodate weddings, corporate gatherings, baby showers and other events, said Colt Haugen, chief operating officer and co-owner of the Springs-based WickedThink advertising agency.
A limited liability company formed by Haugen, WickedThink CEO Kim Shugart — a longtime marketing and communications executive and co-founder of the Magnum Shooting Center in the Springs — and Shugart's son Mike, a WickedThink vice president, paid nearly $1.8 million in May 2021 for the former Sunbird property, according to El Paso County land records.
The nearly 9,700-square-foot Sunbird building sits on about 4 acres, land records show.
Since their purchase, Haugen said he and the Shugarts have worked to develop a vision for the venue — soliciting input from wedding planners, photographers, caterers and others in the event industry. They're now seeking approval of a development plan for their project, according to a proposal filed with city government officials.
In a best-case scenario, they hope to launch demolition of the Sunbird building and construction of the new venue this summer at the restaurant site, 230 Point of the Pines Drive. Completion of The High Garden is targeted for fall 2023.
"It's a beautiful opportunity for the city of Colorado Springs," Haugen said. "We need something like this. There was an incredible demand for event space after the COVID pandemic that was built specifically to have a big enough opportunity for people to get together in big, small, indoor and outdoor spaces.
"The location is fantastic," he added. "It's got unbelievable views of the city, great parking. The property itself is iconic."
The Sunbird, known as the Sunbird Mountain Grill and Tavern at the time of its closing, opened in 1975.
It became popular for award-winning cuisine and one-of-a-kind views of the city, Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain, then-owner Specialty Restaurants Corp. said when it announced the restaurant's closing.
Families gathered there to celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversaries, while couples got engaged and married there, while its Sunday brunch was especially popular.
Over the years, however, The Sunbird faltered. It got a new name, menu and renovation in 2013, though a Gazette restaurant review four years later said the Sunbird was "showing its age" and described its food quality as "inconsistent.”
"For a long time, it was a very, very nice restaurant," Haugen said. "It's just, that location's not going to work for a restaurant any more. You have to have a reason to be going to that place."
The restaurant building itself, he added, is in disrepair.
"There's nothing that can be done to save that building," Haugen said.
The High Garden will be broken up into four parts, he said: a banquet hall that could seat 350 people for meals; a separate indoor event side — with a stage and Pikes Peak backdrop — for weddings and other activities that could accommodate another 350 people; and a common area lobby that connects to covered patios and decks. High Garden also will have kitchen facilities on site.
Weddings could take place in the indoor event space or they could be held outside, overlooking the city and mountains, Haugen said.
"If you want an outsider wedding in July, no problem; we have a big beautiful courtyard patio on the back that overlooks the whole city," he said. "If the weather turns negative, we move you right inside, real easy, and you can have the wedding inside."
The building itself will have a mountain country, lodge-like look and feel, Haugen said.
"So it doesn't look like a spaceship on the hill," he said. "It looks more like a castle/lodge, with nice stonework, covered patios ... that give the city views."
Topics: Food & Drink, Colorado, Colorado Springs