Frothy Monkey

Denark served as Construction Manager-At-Risk for the build out of Frothy Monkey, an “all-day” restaurant in the Historic Kress Building (also renovated by the Denark Team).

The Owner brought back to life the original exterior façade, including the red “H.S. Kress & Co 5-10-25 Cent Store” sign and glass mezzanine windows.

Inside, structural updates required new support beams. However, the original wood beams were milled and cut to serve as bar shelves and the stairs to the mezzanine.

Historic column supports with ornamental capitals remained visible on each side of the cafe, and original brick lines the back wall. The entrance of the building includes partially covered outdoor seating, a recessed doorway, and an interior mezzanine.

The 120 indoor seats are spread between standard restaurant tables on the ground floor and mezzanine, in addition to bar seating near the back of the building. Additionally, the outdoor patio seats up to 40 people.

Being an urban, downtown historic renovation, the project encountered several constructability challenges. However, working with the Owner and Designer, Denark was able to complete the project on-time and within budget, and at a level of quality the entire team was proud of.