A Slowing Heartbeat in Old Town

The Downtown Artery is a locally owned art gallery, music venue and cafe that has been a place of comfort to a wide variety of individuals that reside in Fort Collins, Colorado, for the last four years.

Unfortunately, all unique things come to an end. The first-floor of the Old Town Downtown Artery, which was first adopted by the upstairs gallery in 2015, just two years after moving in, will be closing on November 1.

According to the Coloradoan, the building’s owner, Project 252, LLC, owned by Waypoint Real Estate, LLC, bought the building for $3.6 million in May of this year.

“It was kind of the plan all along for the downstairs to close eventually,” said Mike Adams, the downstairs manager and current programming director for the Artery, in an interview with the Collegian.

Although it may have been the plan all along, not resigning the lease has left hundreds of Fort Collins residents with a bitter taste in their mouths. Maddie Swenson just moved to Fort Collins in early August and has only been to the Artery a handful of times.

“It’s truly insane to me,” Swenson said. “A friend of mine brought me there for the first time and explained to me that it’s like an open environment to share anything, so there’s no judgment or hate or negative criticism, and that’s honestly what got me to go back.”

The Artery has been, and will always be, a huge part of the nightlife scene in Fort Collins. Regardless of the town’s university demographic, the Artery brought something to Fort Collins that other music venues did not. That something is the environment their mission statement is clear about; accepting and fostering creativity.

There is a lot of time before November 1, so the Artery is encouraging everyone to come experience what they have created before it is gone. You can see their lineup for concerts, art galleries and open residencies on their homepage. The Artery is located at 254 Linden Street.