Salida, CO – Nonprofit developer Artspace and the City of Salida are pleased to share that the architectural team for the Salida Space to Create: ‘1st & D’ Apartments Project has completed initial concept designs for the site. Cushing Terrell’s architectural team maintained the desired 19 units of affordable workforce housing, while providing 1200 square feet of community ‘flex’ space, in close proximity to downtown Salida.
The design team remains committed to a collaborative and unified design approach with Artspace and the City of Salida and will be holding a second community Open House event on March 6th to unveil floorplans and architectural prototypes, based on input received at the first Open House last October. Additionally, the event will offer the public an opportunity to weigh in on the aesthetics of the building, specifically materials and detailing.
Bill Almquist, Community Development Director for the City of Salida, expressed excitement, stating, “The City of Salida is thrilled to see this project taking shape and looking forward to hearing the community’s feedback on the designs that Artspace and Cushing Terrell have come up with. The information gathered from the previous open house in October played a big role in some of the details that will be presented at this upcoming meeting. We are eager to pursue additional grant funding to take this project vertical and eventually move in members of the local workforce. It is going to be a brilliant residential and creative space!”
Charlie Deese, Design Director at Cushing Terrell, stated, “Your design team has been using the community’s feedback to shape a solution for the workforce housing and creative space at the 1st & D site. We’re excited to share the progress we have made, as well as gather feedback on how the aesthetic character of the building can best fit within the fabric of downtown Salida.”
Artspace and Cushing Terrell, alongside outreach team Connect One Design, will be hosting a public Open House at the Scout Hut in Riverside Park on March 6th, with doors open at 6pm and a formal presentation by the design team at 6:30pm. The presentation slides, which will talk through two complimentary but varying material palettes, will be posted after the event for those that cannot attend. There will be an opportunity for the public to provide feedback on which features of the two designs they prefer, as well as thoughts on the shared community ‘flex’ space, with the aim to once again incorporate community ideas through interactive dialogue and shared insights. Visit artspace.org/salida for additional information and to receive project updates.
The Salida Space to Create: ‘1st & D’ apartments project builds on Artspace’s Space to Create successes, with local community engagement and the architectural team’s expertise driving projects. This project is a part of the greater Space to Create Colorado program, run by Colorado Creative Industries (CCI). The initiative focuses on developing much needed rural workforce housing anchored in select creative districts across the state of Colorado. Artspace is the lead developer for Salida Space to Create: 1st & D Apartments.
The 1st & D Apartments site is located at E 1st St and D St, currently a vacant lot. Built around the turn of the century, the site had previously also been apartments, but fell into disrepair over the years until it was finally razed last year. The .46-acre parcel in downtown Salida was acquired by the City mid-2022.
ABOUT ARTSPACE
Artspace is America’s leading non-profit real estate developer for the arts, dedicated to creating, fostering, and preserving affordable housing, workforce housing and sustainable spaces for artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs. With headquarters in Minneapolis and offices in New York and Washington D.C., Artspace has been at the forefront of artist-led community transformation for over four decades. For more information, please visit www.artspace.org.
ABOUT SPACE TO CREATE
Space to Create Colorado is a program created by Colorado Creative Industries that assists communities with the development of affordable live-work and commercial spaces. Non-residential spaces are available for creative enterprises and organizations that serve critical community needs. The program is the nation’s first state-led initiative for affordable housing for creative sector workers in rural areas. For more information visit www. https://oedit.colorado.gov/space-to-create-colorado
ABOUT CUSHING TERRELL
Cushing Terrell was founded in 1938 by two architects, Ralph Cushing and Everett Terrell, who acted on the belief that integrating architecture, engineering, and design opened the doors for deepened relationships and enhanced creativity — the foundations of our design practice and what still defines us today. Driven by knowledge, curiosity, and empathy, our team works together to design spaces and systems that help people live their best lives, achieve their visions, and enjoy healthy, sustainable built environments. After all, our mission is to invent a better way of living.
