All Adam Gordon had about 18 months ago was ownership of an old Jewish temple in disrepair and a big idea for a social venture.
Now, he is running a renovated building called the Temple, equipped with art-making spaces and a home for several small businesses that promote either artists or creative fields. The building will be full next month when the Temple Bakery opens up on the ground floor of the nearly 130-year-old building in Denver's Five Points neighborhood.
Lewis Neeff watches a dollar bill in a fish tank as he works on crystalizing the appearance of the bill in his studio at the Temple art space. (Seth McConnell, YourHub)
The Temple, 2400 Curtis St., lies on the outskirts of both the Curtis Park Historic District and the River North Art District. Gordon was determined to make it into a place that was affordable for small businesses, nonprofits and artists who have found themselves priced out of the surrounding area and other parts of downtown. He bought the property with a partner he has since bought out.
"Everyone in this entire process has understood that this building is important to the community and the social mission would be the primary focus," Gordon said.
The Temple is home to places like PlatteForum, Processus, URBN Media, the Denver Zine Library and Sent(a)Mental Studios. It will add the Temple Bakery in December, which will be a joint venture between two bakers that will sell an assortment of baked goods during the day and pizza at night. It will also be a business incubator for two other bakers who can move on to start their own business after six months, with new proteges coming in at that time.
Gordon gave the bakery eight months of free rent and is running a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the bakery, the zine library and an art project to adorn the south-facing wall at the Temple.
"It's the perfect place for us," said Eden Myles, co-owner of the Temple Bakery.
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Lori Owicz uses a paint brush to apply ink to panel board as she works on a piece in her studio space at Temple Art Space in Denver on Nov. 11, 2015. (THE DENVER POST | Seth McConnell)
The zine library is home to more than 15,000 "zines" — self-published magazines — and runs workshops for those who make them. Their portion of the fundraising will go toward providing a permanent display area for the library.
The library shares space with Sent(a)Mental Studios, an organization that works closely with the GLBT community and provides creative alternatives to suicide.
The library's co-founder, Kelly "Shortandqueer" Costello, said the Temple was the ideal place to move after the library's previous location was sold in west Denver. It also provided a means to connect with like-minded folks.
"The Temple became an opportunity to connect with those in that world," Costello said.
The 20-plus artists who rent space pay about $1.25 per square foot monthly, averaging about $350 per month, making it an affordable place in an area where many artists have already left for cheaper places. Many of the studios are also of a size where the occupant can sublet some of his or her space.
Mario Zoots was the first artist to move in when the building was still being renovated. He said the building has a weird energy and jokingly said it might be haunted, but he plans to be there for years to come.
"It's like a home away from home," Zoots said. "It's a community, and there's great and talented artists there."
Built in the late 1880s, the Temple has been home to three synagogues during its history, but was later home to a music venue that saw the likes of punk band Black Flag play there. More recently it has boarded-up windows and a hole in the roof.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and could become part of the Curtis Park Historic District, something Curtis Park Neighbors president Joel Noble said has been a long-time goal. Noble said he was worried the building would be torn down before Gordon and his partner acquired it.
"Now there's no sense of threat. While we do want it landmarked, there's not the pressure to get it done next week," Noble said
Gordon, an artist, musician and social entrepreneur, bought the building cheap with the intent of keeping it cheap for the community.
"It's just a model where the numbers can work," Gordon said. "I know developers would say you can't do it. This was just a social thing and we did it and it's cool."
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or @joe_vacc
