DENVER – The Bindery on Blake, an adaptive reuse project in the heart of the River North Art District (RiNo) has leased space from the Backyard on Blake to keep affordable artist studios in the RiNo neighborhood.
Bindery on Blake, located at 2901 Blake St. and 2875 Blake St., is currently home to 13 artist studios that will be moving across the street to 3040 Blake St. later this month. Bindery tenant Davis Partnership needed space to expand, so rather than do away with the artist studios, Danielsen leased new space at Backyard on Blake to ensure artists would continue to have an affordable place to work in neighborhood.
The new space will feature 14 artist studios (one more unit than in the previous space). The studios range from 200 to 250-square-feet, and feature high ceilings and ample natural light. Studios will be leased out for $600 per month – just 30 percent of current market rates.
“Artists have long called RiNo home – they’re a big part of what made the neighborhood cool in the first place,” said Sonia Danielsen, owner of the Bindery on Blake. “As our neighborhood grows and changes, our mission is to make sure that RiNo continues to be a place where art is created. We are committed to provide below market rents to artist so that they can afford to work here. By leasing space from Backyard on Blake and personally subsidizing the difference in cost, we are able to provide an affordable new home for artists.”
Together the buildings at 2901 Blake St. and 2875 Blake St. in Denver’s thriving RiNo district make up the Bindery on Blake. The building at 2901 Blake St., known as The Sandbox, is an adaptive reuse project that was completed in 2015 and features a unique mix of artist studios alongside retail and creative commercial businesses—all located in a one-of-a-kind industrial space repurposed for the future. Next door at 2875 Blake St., the building known as The Juicebox includes a restaurant and tasting room overlooking a production floor, shared by a brewery and a hard cidery. The properties are owned by Danielsen Investments, LLC., a real estate investment company that specializes in commercial and residential properties in the RiNo area.
Images courtesy of Sonia Danielsen
