The building at 821 22nd St. (Courtesy Madison Commercial Properties)
A nonprofit has purchased a small office building in Arapahoe Square after deciding buying was a better option than renting.
The Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, which advocates against the overuse of the criminal justice system while promoting community health and safety, purchased the two-story building at 821 22nd St. last month for $1.6 million.
That’s approximately $178 per square foot for the roughly 9,000-square-foot structure. The seller, DP Assets LLC, paid $1.08 million in 2015, records show.
“The location is great for us. We do a lot of work in the community and at the Capitol so it’s location, location, location,” said Christie Donner, the organization’s founder and executive director.
The nonprofit started in 1999 “out of a concern of perpetual prison expansion,” according to Donner, and is moving in this week.
“We’re not just trying to have it make money for us,” she said. “We want to do a big energy efficiency upgrade. We want to maintain the building itself and upgrade and put in a little TLC.”
Previously, the group had been a tenant of another nonprofit – the Denver Inner City Parish at 1212 Mariposa St. – where it paid less than $1,000 a month in rent. But after 17 years there, the growth of both Donner’s organization and the parish meant that there wasn’t enough room.
“We just kind of outgrew the space and they weren’t sure they could renew the lease … This isn’t the culmination of a big, long two-year process, (we) had to shift into high gear very quickly,” Donner said.
Looking for another rental resulted in “sticker shock” at the rates, Donner said, so the group decided to try to buy instead. When they looked at the Arapahoe Square property, she recalled, her broker warned of nearby homeless encampments and activity.
“That’s exactly where we should be,” Donner said she replied.
The coalition is largely policy-centric, so Donner spends much of her time lobbying at the state level. A number of community service organizations are positioned near the new office, a Salvation Army is across the street and a homeless shelter is just another block from there.
Donner said she sees her organization fitting in seamlessly with the other groups in the neighborhood. Those entities focus on providing immediate services to those in need, she said, while her nonprofit can work to solve these issues on a systemic level.
The coalition will occupy the entire two-story property on the corner of 22nd and Champa, which includes some offices and open space for meetings and gatherings. There’s also an unfinished basement.
Brandon Gouker of Madison Commercial Properties represented the coalition in the purchase. Boston Weir and Dexter Degre of Henry Group Real Estate represented the seller.
Frank Morrato built the structure in 1904. The Italian-American immigrated to Denver from Naples in 1885 and eventually started his alcohol distribution business, Notary e Morrato, in the 22nd Street property, according to an application for the building to be on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.
Later, the space was used by nightclubs and cafes. Morrato, whose name is still displayed on the building, passed away in March 1937. “A leader of Italian-Americans here … a Denver pioneer,” his front-page obituary in The Denver Post read.
The building at 821 22nd St. (Courtesy Madison Commercial Properties)
A nonprofit has purchased a small office building in Arapahoe Square after deciding buying was a better option than renting.
The Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, which advocates against the overuse of the criminal justice system while promoting community health and safety, purchased the two-story building at 821 22nd St. last month for $1.6 million.
That’s approximately $178 per square foot for the roughly 9,000-square-foot structure. The seller, DP Assets LLC, paid $1.08 million in 2015, records show.
“The location is great for us. We do a lot of work in the community and at the Capitol so it’s location, location, location,” said Christie Donner, the organization’s founder and executive director.
The nonprofit started in 1999 “out of a concern of perpetual prison expansion,” according to Donner, and is moving in this week.
“We’re not just trying to have it make money for us,” she said. “We want to do a big energy efficiency upgrade. We want to maintain the building itself and upgrade and put in a little TLC.”
Previously, the group had been a tenant of another nonprofit – the Denver Inner City Parish at 1212 Mariposa St. – where it paid less than $1,000 a month in rent. But after 17 years there, the growth of both Donner’s organization and the parish meant that there wasn’t enough room.
“We just kind of outgrew the space and they weren’t sure they could renew the lease … This isn’t the culmination of a big, long two-year process, (we) had to shift into high gear very quickly,” Donner said.
Looking for another rental resulted in “sticker shock” at the rates, Donner said, so the group decided to try to buy instead. When they looked at the Arapahoe Square property, she recalled, her broker warned of nearby homeless encampments and activity.
“That’s exactly where we should be,” Donner said she replied.
The coalition is largely policy-centric, so Donner spends much of her time lobbying at the state level. A number of community service organizations are positioned near the new office, a Salvation Army is across the street and a homeless shelter is just another block from there.
Donner said she sees her organization fitting in seamlessly with the other groups in the neighborhood. Those entities focus on providing immediate services to those in need, she said, while her nonprofit can work to solve these issues on a systemic level.
The coalition will occupy the entire two-story property on the corner of 22nd and Champa, which includes some offices and open space for meetings and gatherings. There’s also an unfinished basement.
Brandon Gouker of Madison Commercial Properties represented the coalition in the purchase. Boston Weir and Dexter Degre of Henry Group Real Estate represented the seller.
Frank Morrato built the structure in 1904. The Italian-American immigrated to Denver from Naples in 1885 and eventually started his alcohol distribution business, Notary e Morrato, in the 22nd Street property, according to an application for the building to be on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.
Later, the space was used by nightclubs and cafes. Morrato, whose name is still displayed on the building, passed away in March 1937. “A leader of Italian-Americans here … a Denver pioneer,” his front-page obituary in The Denver Post read.
