Chicano Art Gallery & Nonprofit Moving Locations: 'It Would Hurt Us'

By Stan Bush

DENVER (CBS4) - A nonprofit art gallery appears to be the newest victim to unaffordable rent in Denver.

The Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, commonly referred to as CHAC, says they're being forced to move.

"At first I was upset. I was angry. You didn't have the decency to say 'We're going to sell,'" said Lucille Rivera, Executive Director of CHAC said of the building's owner. "The fact that we have been here so long, they should have told us."

The gallery at 772 Santa Fe Boulevard is directly in the middle of the historic art district on that street. They have rented the location without a lease for $2,000 a month, which is low for a commercial space.

However, they say they'll have to leave with the building owner promising to sell the coveted real estate this year.

"It would hurt us to go anywhere else. I think any business that's been in a place for a long time will suffer a little bit," said Rivera.

CHAC is moving six blocks south to the edge of the art district to a location that is twice as expensive. Rivera worries that the stress of the move will be hard on the business that has served as a launch pad for local Chicano artists.

"I think it's important for these artists because it's a projection of them as people," added Rivera.

Stan Bush is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 10. Read his bio and follow him on Twitter @StanBushTV.