I walked around the Art District on Santa Fe Drive here in Denver last month to visit the galleries during Denver's Month of Photography. While there, I took a few photographs of the Aztlan Theater, seen in the photograph on the left. It has been there for many years, and recently has been used as a concert and event venue. What brings it to mind is that there was an article in the paper about the owner, who bought it the fifties to help preserve a bit of Denver's Hispanic culture. I think over the years it has become an increasing burden to maintain. This used to be an Hispanic neighborhood, but over the years has become an arts district, and it is now the site of the very popular First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe. The area is now filling up with new pricey apartment buildings and is becoming popular with hipsters. Not too long ago the marquee of the theater featured a sign denouncing the City of Denver for tripling the property taxes for the theater now that property values have skyrocketed in the neighborhood.
I took a look at the front entrance, seen in the photograph on the right, and it does indeed seem to be a very nice building, although to be honest, it needs a lot of work to restore it to its former glory. The article I read says the owner would like to sell it to someone who will preserve it and help maintain its link to the Hispanic culture of Denver, which in that neighborhood is fast disappearing. As is true of many neighborhoods that have been gentrified in Denver, if you own your place and can afford the property taxes, you can stay. If not, you wind up having to move and find a cheaper place to live, which is getting harder and harder to do here in Denver. In any case, if anybody out there wants to make an offer, I am sure the owner will listen.
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