Man Transforms Home Into Art Exhibit To Highlight Housing Problem
DENVER (CBS4) – Less than 10 miles west of the Colorado State Capitol, a neighborhood along West Colfax Avenue started a conversation of home transformations, through the artwork of one home renter.
Zach Scanlon, who rented 1240 Newton Street knowing it was set for demolition, decided he wanted to make a statement with his home.
With the help of local artist Markus Puskar, Scanlon transformed his living room into an art exhibit. The walls, ceiling, and blinds of his living room were painted by Puskar.
Scanlon said the design of the painting was themed around the shapes of mushrooms and jellyfish.
Scanlon calls it "The Funkhouse." It's an art exhibit meant to highlight Denver's rapidly changing housing landscape. The home is open to visitors until it is demolished.
At first, he enjoyed playing music in the room with his friends. Then, upon realizing the room would soon be demolished, he realized the piece could also serve as part of a discussion.
"(The living room) turned into a bigger message. It became a symbol for what is happening," Scanlon told CBS4's Dillon Thomas. "The neighborhood is changing rapidly."
Next door to the home Scanlon lives in is a house recently built. It towers over his home, and sits only feet away from his property. The house next to that new development is also dated, in comparison.
"(The older homes are) just going to get torn down, and turned into a cookie cutter designed home," Scanlon said.
Scanlon said, by opening his home to the public before demolition, it helped with two things.
Not only did it give some the opportunity to see new art. It also helped some talk about how homes with character would be demolished for newer, higher-end, houses.
"I wanted to see how uniquely it was done and why anyone would put that amount of time into such a beautiful wall, just to have it destroyed," one visitor said.
"(The demolition) is sad, yes," another visitor said. "I don't like to see the character of the neighborhood change."
Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.