A 1911 building permit (#233) indicates that the building was constructed for $7000 for owner F.L. Tettemer. The permit lists the architect as G.L. Bettcher and builder as J.J. Cooke. While the building permit lists Tettemer as the owner, Denver assessor records list the Denver Shale Brick Company as the property’s first owner. Frank L. Tettemer was the general manager of the Denver Shale Brick Company. Cooke was likely contractor James J. Cooke, who appears in several building permits around this time. G. L. Bettcher was George L. Bettcher, a prolific Denver architect. Formerly listed as 1314 Pearl Street, the building served as a garage for the Capitol Hill neighborhood for a good portion of its existence.
From 1981 to 1984, this was the home of the Mercury Café. Notable performers at 1310 Pearl Street included Rosanne Barr, who at that time was a nascent comedienne performing her “Domestic Goddess” routine, local jazz acts Rare Silk and Rob Mullins, and in 1983 an up-and-coming punk band, the Birthday Party, which later that year reformed as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
