Chris Chiari is a character. As owner of the Patterson Inn in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, he runs one of the city’s most recognizable historic buildings (also known as the Croke-Patterson Mansion) and recently welcomed Travel Channel crews from the “Portals to Hell” series to document its haunted mythology.
Before becoming a hotelier, the 46-year-old cancer survivor (diagnosed with melanoma at age 27) was also a cannabis advocate, CONORML board member and dispensary owner who took an active role in Colorado’s embrace of marijuana culture. His LinkedIn page lists still-active gigs at American Millennium Investment Corp. (where he’s president) and King of Quality Productions (founder), but also work for the Democratic Party (he’s run for elected office in Colorado and Florida) and nonprofit positions.
However, perfect as he may be for it, Chiari is not a character in his newest film, “Public Enemy Number One.” He reserves those roles for historical figures and commentators such as rapper/actor Ice-T — who also happens to be an executive producer on the project.
