The new acquisition, which is expected to close on June 28 for $1.8 million, marks a significant milestone for the theater company and its community. The Blue Building, Garcia notes, could have easily been sold to a high-end developer, further gentrifying the neighborhood.
"If we had not bought this, the lot would have been ideal for developers to build a high-rise apartment that would block out all of the sunlight at Su Teatro and take more of this neighborhood away from the community," the executive artistic director says as he looks at the massive apartment eyesore, POP Denver, that looms large next to his company's new building. "We could not let that happen."
Su Teatro executive artistic director Tony Garcia (right) and daughter Mica Garcia de Benavidez look out from the rooftop of the new building.
Courtesy of Toni Tresca
Su Teatro successfully raised the funds to purchase the 4,404-square-foot building from Chuck and Becky Morris, with support from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries and the Colorado Health Foundation. The Morrises built the space in 2014 as an ancillary office for AEG Presents, which moved to RiNo in 2019. After that, it was temporarily rented out to construction crews working on POP Denver, but the building will soon serve a very different purpose under Su Teatro's ownership.
"The Morrises have been wonderful to us," Garcia says. "Originally, it was going to cost $2.1 million, but they cut it by $300,000 for us, so we only paid $1.8 million. Chuck and Becky were drawn to the idea of Su Teatro being preserved as an education arts institute on the west side."
The deal came together through a combination of strategic negotiations and community support. Su Teatro's associate director, Tanya Mote, who met us inside the Blue Building, notes with a chuckle that discussions about acquiring the space have been going on for two years.
"We're laughing because it was pretty conspiratorial," Garcia says. "We saw that the facility was for lease and were interested, so I did some research. I remember walking into the Sherman Agency, which was doing the mortgage, and telling Hal Neiman, who was their representative, ‘I want to buy your building, but I don't have any money.’ He says, ‘Let’s keep talking,’ so it evolved through that conversation. We weren't interested in renting the building; Su Teatro was either going to own it or not."
The deal for Su Teatro to acquire a second location has been in the works behind the scenes for the past two years.
Courtesy of Toni Tresca
This approach to ownership is not new for Su Teatro; the organization has a history of transforming its vision of independence into reality. After years as a guerrilla theater troupe performing on Denver’s west side and around Auraria, Su Teatro secured its first indoor stage in 1989 at the old Elyria School building. After spending over a decade in the space, the group had outgrown the venue and announced in 2007 that it would build its own arts center at 215 South Santa Fe Drive.
However, when the Denver Civic Theatre went into foreclosure just up the road at 721 Santa Fe Drive in 2009, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, who had supported Su Teatro since the 1980s, urged the company to purchase that location. The City of Denver helped Su Teatro negotiate with Evergreen Bank, which foreclosed on the Civic, so the company could acquire the theater for $780,000 using their own funds. Su Teatro moved into the building in February 2010.
The company celebrated paying off the mortgage on the Denver Civic Theatre building in January 2023, marking a significant step toward financial independence. As the organization began fundraising again to pay for its expansion into the Blue Building, Garcia once again sought the assistance of Hickenlooper.
However, when the Denver Civic Theatre went into foreclosure just up the road at 721 Santa Fe Drive in 2009, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, who had supported Su Teatro since the 1980s, urged the company to purchase that location. The City of Denver helped Su Teatro negotiate with Evergreen Bank, which foreclosed on the Civic, so the company could acquire the theater for $780,000 using their own funds. Su Teatro moved into the building in February 2010.
The company celebrated paying off the mortgage on the Denver Civic Theatre building in January 2023, marking a significant step toward financial independence. As the organization began fundraising again to pay for its expansion into the Blue Building, Garcia once again sought the assistance of Hickenlooper.
Since Hickenlooper and Chuck Morris, a legendary concert promoter, were close friends, "Hickenlooper began talking to Chuck about it and set up a time when we could meet each other," Garcia says. "The Morris family has long been supporters of the arts, and see this as an opportunity to perpetuate the legacy of the company that has brought so much music to the Denver area and beyond."
To celebrate the company's milestone, Su Teatro is hosting a closing and blessing party in the Blue Building at 4 p.m. on July 9.
Courtesy of Toni Tresca
Su Teatro has already set its sights on buying another Morris-owned space, located at 930 West Seventh Avenue, next-door to the Blue Building. "This next acquisition will allow us to expand even further and solidify our presence as a cultural hub," Garcia says. Sherman Agencies negotiated a three-year, $2.9 million purchase option agreement between Su Teatro and the Morrises for the 10,000-square-foot space.
In stark contrast to Su Teatro's growth, other Denver theaters are shrinking. Benchmark Theatre and Curious Theatre Company announced they were leaving their spaces this month, highlighting a troubling trend of vanishing arts venues in the city. Benchmark, a fixture in Lakewood's 40 West Arts District since 2018, moved out of its space on June 2, transitioning to a nomadic model. And Curious, a 27-year-old Denver institution known for producing social justice theater productions, announced on June 9 a similar decision to put its Acoma Street space on the market.
While those theaters explore life without a space, Su Teatro's expansion demonstrates the company's commitment to independence through ownership. This moment of transition has also reignited discussions about succession. Garcia states that he intends to strategically use the next three years to explore "how the transition between me and Mica occurs. I'm going to spend the next few years raising funds, so I will be a little less involved in the day-to-day operations while Mica takes over the Blue Building and begins to build that space."
When asked how she feels about inheriting the mantle from her father, Garcia de Benavidez says, "That's a big question. Moving into that space — both the literal space we bought and the figurative space of stepping up as a leader — can be daunting and intimidating. I've been working on Su Teatro's operations for a long time, so I do have a pretty good sense of how to keep those pieces in motion. One of the hardest pieces for me is pulling back and letting other people do the work so I can focus holistically on what’s going on."
To celebrate the company's milestone, Su Teatro is hosting a closing and blessing party in the Blue Building at 4 p.m. on July 9. The community is invited to enjoy cake, music, dancing and champagne to toast the new space. As we sit on the rooftop patio of Su Teatro's new property, Garcia is not taking anything for granted, pointing out that the work is only beginning.
"Su Teatro has always been an anomaly," he says. "We're an arts organization that's still in the community that it comes from, and our vision has always been for independence. Our art does not come from somewhere else and then try to enter the community; it comes from our neighborhood and the history we want to perpetuate into the future and preserve through art."
Closing and Blessing Party, Tuesday, July 9, Blue Building, 659 Santa Fe Drive. Learn more at suteatro.org.
