BOULDER - On the southeastern edge of downtown Boulder, a block of 15th Street is undergoing an artistic transformation.

Gone is the former pornography shop and the rundown student housing on this block between Canyon Boulevard and Arapahoe Avenue. In their place has sprung Boulder's new creative arts district - occupied by artists, architects and digital arts firms.

The most recent visual transformation began this spring.

In March, the owners of Boulder-based VaST Architecture purchased the former porn shop at 1720 15th St. for $550,000. In just a few months, Brandy LeMae and Joseph Vigil turned the 2,488-square-foot building into VaST's headquarters and an open-office environment for one-employee businesses.

"We were looking for something close to downtown, and that was affordable," LeMae said. "This neighborhood was a match for our co-working environment."

The building was renamed The Candy Shop Creative Offices, harkening back to the space's original use as a candy store. The redesign is fresh, funky and green. The flooring includes a reclaimed gymnasium floor from a junior college in Gunnison and carpet tiles that are 65 percent recyclable.

At 1701 15th St., local developers Kevin Hart and Harvey Hine purchased the property for $1.55 million in 2007. They are in the midst of constructing a new 23,300-square-foot mixed-use building. The ground floor will feature three commercial office/retail spaces, topped by two floors of high-end residential condominiums.

Among the three commercial spaces, Hart will take about 1,000 square feet for an office. Fort Collins-based R Design is purchasing 1,400 square feet for a development office, and 1,500 square feet remains for sale. Above the second floor features four residential units of about 2,000 square feet each, and the third floor features two residential units of about 3,000 square feet each. The high-end residences feature outdoor decks and covered parking. Prices will range from $2.5 million to $2.8 million.

"The Realtors vision downtown Boulder from Pine Street (on the north) to Canyon Boulevard (on the south), but we really see this area (down to Arapahoe Avenue on the south) on the as part of the core downtown," Hart said. "When you look at the amenities, access to public transportation, the creek path and farmers' market, it's a great place."

Moving north on the block, Boulder builder Derek Guarascio with TreeLine Homes Inc. and Dale Hubbard with Surround Architecture partnered to purchase the former Sports Recycler building at 1727 15th St. for $585,000. The two are redeveloping the 5,756-square-foot building to feature about 1,350 square feet of retail/restaurant space for lease on the first floor, an office for TreeLine and Surround on the second floor and a single residential unit, already sold, on the third floor. Construction is expected to be complete this fall and the building will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certified.

Guarascio sees good things happening in the neighborhood, and it spurred him to also purchase the office properties at 1405 and 1435 Arapahoe Ave. for about $2.7 million. He plans to redevelop the property into high-end residences.

The newcomers did have a base to build on. For several years, Stephen Sparn Architects PC, 15th Street Studios art gallery and frame shop, creative branding company Egg Strategy and media firm People Productions have called the neighborhood their creative home.

At 1731 15th St., Sparn is welcoming his new neighbors to an area he discovered a dozen years ago. Sparn built the 8,000-square-foot Whiterock building for his offices and has found recent success in leasing it to high-tech companies like HiveLive and Public Earth.

"In a way, among all the artists and architects down here, they are designers, too," Sparn said. Rather than bricks and mortar, the companies design digital software and Internet code.

The remaining vice on the block is Liquor Mart, but no one is complaining. A little alcohol can spur some creative thinking.

Contact David Clucas at 303-440-4950 or dclucas@bcbr.com.