Artspace will construct Grand Lake Space to Create on the East End of downtown to provide a year-round, sustainable, and affordable home to the community’s creative class. Nestled within a visually stunning atmosphere, the building’s residents will be just blocks away from the scenic shores of Grand Lake (the headwaters of the Colorado River), as well as a short drive from Rocky Mountain National Park—both places abundant with artistic inspiration. The completed project will include 18 units of live/work space, as well as a gallery, commercial, or community space on the ground floor. This investment in the year-round retention of the creative workforce is projected to have a catalytic effect on economic stimulation in the town.
Grand Lake, located in the Northern Mountains Region, is the third Colorado community to participate in the state-led Space to Create Colorado initiative, following the Trinidad demonstration project and Ridgway.
This idyllic mountain town has long been an arts-friendly community, but seasonal cultural workers annually migrate when their hospitality/resort housing closes in the offseason. A group of civic leaders, calling themselves the Colorful Creatives, joined forces in their vision to expand the town’s year-round creative economy; and Grand Lake has since achieved formal designation as a Creative District, and joined the Space to Create Colorado program.
Grand Lake Space to Create will be the first Artspace development to utilize modular manufacturing, with the majority created off site. This method minimizes waste, like pallets and shrink wrap, as well as the impact on the environment from continual vehicular traffic and on-site equipment. Decreased on-site construction time also reduces the impact on neighbors dealing with traffic, parking, and construction dust.
