In 1932, artist Vance Kirkland rented (and later bought) the art school building at 1311 Pearl Street (built 1910–1911). Kirkland occupied the building for almost fifty years and created over 1,100 paintings during his tenure, using it exclusively as a studio after returning as head of the art school at the University of Denver in 1946. Both an innovator and a visionary, Kirkland is recognized as one of the century's great modern painters. In 2016 his studio was moved from its original location to its current site at 1201 Bannock Street. This move preserved the building, and maintained its centrality to the experience at Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, housed in a modern structure attached to the historic studio & art school building.
