Plus Gallery started in it's original location at 2350 Lawrence Street in downtown Denver in July of 2001, under the name of "Cordell Taylor Gallery." Much of that early history is archived and chronicled elsewhere, with the transition to Plus Gallery coming in 2004 and remaining till today. After 7 years in the original location, we decided to seek a permanent home that would advance the recommendation we'd been receiving over the years of "ownership" and how that model is the only one that makes sense for an arts related business.
We start this blog with the final press release from our old location, and continue the story of its construction below:
August 7, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver CO – After seven years serving the Denver community at 2350 Lawrence Street, Plus Gallery will close the doors of the location at the end of August, 2008. The final exhibition in the space will be a group show that will coincide with the Democratic National Convention and will primarily feature a "Best Of" the gallery stable from the current year's exhibitions.
Plus Gallery will relocate the following month of September to a temporary space at 15th and Delgany next to the downtown real-estate firm Urban Market Partners (whose Komorebi project is being developed on the block) and across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. The relocation is a strategic move to partner with the innovative Real Estate acumen of Urban Market Partners to showcase Plus Gallery represented artists, non-profit organizations and culinary events on the future site of Komorebi, one of the most innovative and elegant residential mixed-use projects to be proposed in the Denver marketplace. Plus Gallery owners Ivar and Karen Zeile include this temporary opportunity in their long term gallery program that leads up to their new location currently being developed at 2501 Larimer Street, two blocks north-west of the Lawrence Street location. The position next door to the MCA will allow for increased awareness for the gallery's reputable program amongst Denver's contemporary art enthusiasts, much in the way the Temporary Contemporary provided a bridge for the Museum to occupy their new headquarters.
The new gallery at 25th and Larimer is scheduled to be complete in the first quarter of 2009. It is a singular redevelopment for Denver and the Ballpark neighborhood that utilizes the dramatic features of the remaining buildings at the Benjamin Moore complex to their greatest effect. In progress for over a year in conjunction with prestigious developers St. Charles Town Company and the visionary architecture firm Architecture Denver, the gallery will be housed in the dramatic "Flue" structure, a massive brick wall that rises 4 stories in the air and is approximately 30 feet wide. The building will feature a two-story addition that will serve as exhibition and office space, as well as a new landmark for an area that is increasingly becoming Denver's top location for visionary galleries, artists, creatives and other art-related ventures. Douglas Construction has been selected as the contractors for the project, their experience building the RINO district's Weilworks and Plinth Gallery being integral to their selection.
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The prospect of moving the gallery into the remnant buildings of the Benjamin Moore Paint complex two blocks from our original location (in particular the “Flue” structure), began in the spring of 2006 with a phone-call from Denver developer Charlie Wooley with St. Charles Town Company. Charlie was familiar with the gallery, as he had acquired a work of art for the downstairs common area at the larger structure that had previously housed the Benjamin Moore Paint Factory and that his company had successfully developed into lofts years prior. At one point the gallery had also hung artwork in the sales office for that project as a way to create greater awareness for the gallery while still in our infancy, a structure that was now part of our prospective gallery/residence. Charlie was interested in keeping the flue structure and the other singled out building adjacent to it for the right redevelopment prospect and thought that our interest in the neighborhood and function would be a potential fit. The two buildings could easily have been torn down, as they weren’t exactly designated as historic but clearly stood out as singular buildings of unique interest and potential, especially if approached the right way.
The text from the OZ architecture website relating to the St. Charles Town's development of the Benjamin Moore Site reads as follows:
Benjamin Moore Lofts
Denver, CO
The Benjamin Moore building is a contributing building in the Ballpark Historic District of Denver. It was originally built in 1921, with various additions made through 1947. The building was once a paint factory, was then used for office, storage, and distribution of Benjamin Moore paint products. St. Charles Town Company hired OZ to convert this 65,000 square foot building into 49 entry-level lofts. OZ worked closely with the City of Denver to rezone the property, and also with the Landmark Commission as the design developed. The historic exterior of the building was appropriately rehabilitated. The raw industrial materials and structure of the building is maintained and expressed in the interiors, to create true industrial urban lofts.
It took some smooth talking on Charlie’s part just to get us over to even look at the structures initially, but upon setting foot onto the property with the idea that it could house the gallery immediately sent light-bulbs flashing in our heads, it was quite obvious that a truly rare opportunity might be at hand. The rest of that afternoon was spent drawing up floor plans and schematic concepts to see if it could work, the buildings themselves presented challenges from a total space-standpoint and the fact that there were two separate structures that were physically connected with a brick wall posed some issues for use. Ultimately, we realized that the simple cube structure was the perfect size for a loft renovation but too small for the gallery, and that if we added onto the flue structure that we could get both the ideal configuration and space that we needed to house the gallery. It took several revisions to fully realize the fit, but we were well aware that it could work and would be a dramatic concept both from an architectural standpoint as well as from the realities of running an art gallery.
We moved forward from there, negotiating the terms and trying to figure out what it would take to secure the property and get started. We actually signed the initial commitment to the property a few days before our son Udo was born, something that Karen to this day claims was a bit of a rash-decision based on not having all of her wits about her. But so it goes, sometimes one must jump into the fire to find the pot of gold.
There is a lot to convey regarding the process of selecting and finally working with an architect, but we’ll spare most of the details here. We had many good architects to choose from but ultimately decided to work with Steve Chucovich and his firm Architecture Denver. Steve is a personal friend and someone whom we knew had the desire to do a piece of significant architecture that related to the art scene in Denver. His vision for the project was critical in its success and he proved that great contemporary architecture can be done on a budget with superior results. The process was not always easy but for a first project (on our end) but we were amazed at how everything did come together to such high standards and terrific effect. The project was built by Douglas Construction, a small firm that had realized two extremely fine contemporary boutique galleries in the neighborhood already, providing the kind of experience and approach that was critical to pulling off our project.
Construction began in September of 2008 and while the building was taking shape we decided to abandon the old space in lieu of an interim facility located across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. The opportunity presented itself and our lease had officially expired in August, allowing us to decrease our overhead and concentrate on “re-tooling” the program while still having a solid community presence for our artists. The space was not ideal but the location did allow us to have great foot-traffic during a time in which the economy had plunged and other galleries were likely feeling the sting. The anticipation for the new gallery grew exponentially with every day, and as we saw the new building take shape we spent a lot of effort towards the first set of exhibitions and shifting back into our full business mode.
Construction on the gallery portion of the project was completed on schedule for our grand re-opening in March of 2009. The first two opening nights were outstanding with attendance way beyond our expectations. We learned a lot during the first few months since then, but the greatest testament is personally knowing that the design and construction are of the highest order for any facility in Denver, something that we and the entire team are proud of that makes up for the fact that the economy has effected every industry across the board. Here is the text of the first press release for the grand re-opening of the project:
February 25, 2009
For immediate release
Plus Gallery set to open new building March 13th, 2009
New paintings by Karen McClanahan to serve as inaugural exhibition
Karen McClanahan: "Everything has its place"
March 13th - April 18th, 2009
Artist’s reception Friday, March 13th from 6-9pm
Plus Gallery will inaugurate a new building at 2501 Larimer Street in March 2009 with the solo exhibition "Everything has its place" featuring new paintings by Karen McClanahan. The logic of the exhibition title can be considered the artist's mantra for the body of work she has been meticulously crafting since graduating with a Master of Fine Arts in painting from New York's Hunter College in 2006. Everything indeed has its place within and around the precisely executed canvases that make up the most recent series of paintings. That place is a finely expanding universe of distinct colors, geometric forms, linear progressions and off-kilter gestures that collide in the most unusual and dynamic way.
According to McClanahan "My paintings hint at actually being something real, possibly related to cross-sections or strangely-hued landscapes, yet they always fall back into their own formal properties of line, gesture and color. Gestural fields become contained by their edges, solid-hued curvilinear forms are tenuously dependent upon their surrounding geometric structures as well as disparate color combinations."
But there is always much more than first meets the eye within the works and in many ways the paintings can be considered "alive." With each, McClanahan promotes a taut, rich vocabulary that focuses on the dynamics of color composition and its effect on perspective within a confined picture-plane. Lines vibrate, disintegrate, shift colors and seemingly bend depending on the distance and angle taken from the paintings, resulting in a cascading depth within the volume of each canvas. The paintings truly cannot be taken in from a single vantage point. The attentive viewer finds his eye being drawn to specific attributes of each painting depending on the distance away from and angle of vision. Once these dynamic properties are revealed, attention returns to specific points within the canvas, often obsessively and as if by a steady, compulsive force.
McClanahan further enriches the dialogue within her work and the exhibition environment by creating triptych groupings where canvases of different scale and orientation relate to one another in a communal manner. An initial image becomes source material for the next painting where it is repeated and thus recontextualized. One can see the vast purposefulness of the artist's work as the shift in context tests both scale and space. The result delivers a sophisticated viewing experience that will excite her growing legion of fans and arouse those new to her work.
"Everything has its place" will be on view from March 13th through April 18th, 2009. The public is invited to attend a reception for the artist on Friday, March 13th from 6-9pm.
About Plus Gallery
Plus Gallery has enriched Denver's contemporary art scene since 2001, providing a reputable platform for prestigious artist representation and exhibitions of note. Solo bodies of work are emphasized and typically on view for a five-week duration, laying the foundation for an active program of artist talks, experimental, educational and collecting forums relating to the appreciation of contemporary art. Plus Gallery continues to maintain a focus on local and regional artists producing visionary work in a signature style, and often serves as an incubator for emerging talent. The gallery collaborates with partners throughout the Denver area in order to raise the vitality of the local scene, complementing the efforts put forth at the institutional level in order to construct a more creative and dynamic community.
Plus Gallery's new facility is a renovation of one of Denver's most unusual and dramatic buildings, the remnant "Flue" building from the Benjamin Moore Paint complex at 25th and Larimer. This singular redevelopment adds a two-story gallery space to the dramatic architecture of the Benjamin Moore complex, serving as a visual anchor for the entrance to the Upper Larimer corridor and River North Arts District, one of the most vibrant up-and-coming areas in Denver.
The ground floor exhibition space captures an intimate and pure quality that is conducive to absorbing singular bodies of work by the gallery's roster of artists. The second floor viewing room will house a rotation of artwork and provide space for select special exhibitions, enhancing the dynamics and flexibility within the program. In progress for over a year in conjunction with downtown developers St. Charles Town Company and notable Denver architect Steve Chucovich the new building will serve to further Plus Gallery's reputation as Denver's leading progressive contemporary art gallery.
Plus Gallery's new site lies just two block from the original location at the corner of Broadway and Lawrence Streets, considered by many for years to be a hard-scrabble area at the city limits. The decision to embrace the location was made after seven years of growth and comprehension of the destination concept that a unique retail entity such as Plus could inhabit. As local developers realize the attributes of the landscape within the overlapping districts, more original and progressive entities have started to surface. Plus Gallery stands at a focal position to the Upper Larimer corridor, one which undoubtedly will undergo much change in the coming years and is currently building momentum as the creative core of Denver. The gallery strives to maintain a position that promotes destination traffic, offering a product and platform that is further enriched through its discovery and style of presentation.
Plus Gallery is owned by Ivar and Karen Zeile and has operated independently since being established in 2001. The gallery has received numerous awards and acclaim, including the "Top of the Rocky Award" from the Rocky Mountain News for best new art gallery in 2005. Plus Gallery is a member of the Denver Art Dealers Association, the River North Art District and the Lodo District. Zeile is a member of the Denver Mayor's Commission for Cultural Affairs (since 2006) and currently serves on the board of prestigious art programs including PlatteForum, the Denver Art Museum's DAM Contemporaries, and community arts incubator Redline.
The design of the new building drew immediate accolades from both the Denver Post as well as Westword from critics who had long followed the gallery program over the first seven years.
Here's the text from the 2009 "Best of Westword":
Best New Gallery Space
Plus Gallery
2501 Larimer St.303-296-0927
The public responded extremely well too, every day new people come in and leave comments such as “the best gallery space by far in Denver” or “so much like the top-level galleries in NYC in both building and the artwork.”
The residential portion of the project took a few additional months to complete, and in retrospect that was okay because of the sheer pressure of having a new space to contend with as well as the dictates of the economy. When we finally were able to move in in June it was a positive and thrilling transition to complete the facility and start seeing how it would effect the overall vision we had as a complex that functions both as residence and work. So far it has been amazing and we hope it will inspire more likeminded projects in the neighborhood, pushing this industrial district squarely into the prime real-estate and creative center for Denver.
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