West Oak Street Alley

Completed in 2022, West Oak Alley runs parallel to S. College Avenue on the east between W. Oak Street and W. Olive Street. It is a highly active alley with a lot of pedestrian traffic, many delivery trucks, and daily trash and recycle pickups.

The alley design has an “art deco and entertainment” vibe playing off the historic Armstrong Hotel, which originally opened in 1923. The alley theme was inspired by local restaurateur, hospitality guru, and passionate businessman Ace Gillett. He moved to Fort Collins in 1938 and opened Ace Gillett's Coffee Shop in the lobby of The Northern Hotel. By the mid-1940s, Ace had taken ownership of the entire Northern Hotel. He also later purchased the Armstrong Hotel, which he and his family owned and operated for decades. You can visit his namesake hotel lounge — Ace Gillett’s Lounge & Supper Club, which pairs comfort food and crafted cocktails with live jazz music and spinning vinyl in a refined but relaxed historic underground speakeasy.

West Oak Street Alley is bookended by massive metal fan sculptures that cast unique shadows on the ground during the day and are illuminated at night. These urban design  features were created by Tucson, Arizona-based artist Barbara Grygutis and fabricated and installed by Fort Collins based Fusion Fabrication.