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The Smiley Building

Destinations

Historic walls, creative soul, sustainable rebirth

Once a junior high, now Durango’s arts-and-business hub, The Smiley Building fuses architectural heritage with solar-powered modern life.

The Smiley Building began life in 1936 as the Emory E. Smiley Junior High, rising during the Depression with robust Mission Revival design. After decades as a school, it closed in 1994 and remained vacant until 1997, when Charles Shaw, Lisa Bodwalk, and John Shaw purchased it and transformed it into an arts-and-business hub. Today, it is a solar-powered epicenter of community, housing dozens of studios, offices, boutique spaces, and the Smiley Café. The renovation preserved vintage architectural details—arched windows, high ceilings, original brickwork—while injecting modern systems like photovoltaic panels, geothermal heating, and high-efficiency infrastructure.

Insider Insight

Look for the mural panels on East Third Avenue. They trace Durango scenes from the 1930s, paying homage to the Smiley’s original era. Behind the offices, hover in the upstairs corridors and you may glimpse dancers, artists, or small gatherings in repurposed classrooms. The roof’s solar array now powers much of the building (more than 90% of annual needs) with a system that has evolved since 2000. If you time your visit with a gallery opening or public event, you’ll feel the building’s heartbeat: local creativity, collaboration, and quietly bold transformation.

The Smiley Building anchors Durango’s creative soul: a former school restored to modern vitality, hosting artists, startups, studios, and cafés under one sunlit, sustainable roof.

A school reborn as a sanctuary of art, innovation, and community.
The Smalls