For the last three years, The Hive’s downtown location has been a draw for youths in Durango.
The venue has provided an outlet for youths to display art, fine-tune their skateboarding skills and enjoy punk rock shows – an array of extracurricular activities that may not fit the standard after-school club mold.
But after June 30, the organization will no longer have its downtown building. The owner of The Hive’s building at 1150 Main Ave. has elected not to renew the nonprofit’s lease.
The Hive Executive Director Kelsie Borland said the organization has been notified a new tenant will be moving into the building on July 1.
McLean Family LTD Partnership is the listed owner of the building, according to La Plata County assessor records. There is no listed contact for the organization in the county’s or the city’s records.
“It’s tragic that we have to tear down what we built here,” Borland said.
Borland is intimately familiar with the location. She used to go there when it was the Shred Shed, a skate shop that existed during the 1990s and early 2000s featuring an indoor skate park. It was one of the inspirations for the skate park built at The Hive.
After watching friends and family struggle with substance use, Borland’s passion turned toward developing alternative youth programming that would create a supportive and healthy environment.
“While our community has made strides since the ’90s in providing resources, I believe there’s still a significant gap, particularly in alternative spaces for young people to simply be themselves,” she said in a news release.
She is committed to keeping the organization active with summer programming, despite the search for a new building.
But the search for a building is going to be difficult – especially finding a space that will accommodate a skate park and a concert venue. The organization intends to launch a capital fundraising campaign later this spring.
“The Hive doesn’t have $2 million,” Borland said. “Basically, any property we’re looking at that’s viable for our sustainability is $2 million.”
Issues with the building owner escalated last September, when after two years of live music shows, the organization was told it could no longer host music events, per the landlord’s demands, the organization said in a news release.
Borland said The Hive faced eviction if it didn’t stop hosting concerts.
Losing live music put a damper on things at the organization. It was known for hosting shows that were substance-free and open to all ages. It was one of the only places in town – if not the only – to offer that kind of experience, she said.
“This was a big blow to our organization, our supporters and our mission to provide space for authentic self-expression,” the organization said in its release.
To celebrate its time in the space, The Hive will host a Farewell Ramp Jam on May 3, before beginning the deconstruction of the skate park.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
