Durango, Colorado

The Smiley Building

Problem

Too many rural towns don't have a clear "home base." People don't know where to go to plug in, get help, or meet others. The result: fragmentation, isolation, and duplicated effort.

Solution

A 1930s PWA-funded junior high school at 1309 E 3rd Ave, Durango, closed as a school in 1994, bought by Charles, Lisa and John Shaw in 1997 and opened in January 1998 as a multi-tenant building with artist studios, nonprofits, a Montessori school and a cafe. Rooftop solar installed from 2000 supplied about 95 percent of annual energy use as of 2018 (Durango Herald); the building had 53 tenants in 2018.

Patterns used: Community Anchor Point