DENVER — VFW Post 2461 made headlines after the building near the corner of West Arkansas Avenue and South Broadway sold for more than $2 million, but this deal tells a bigger story about the reality the longtime institution has been facing.
The mission of the VFW is simple: to help veterans (hence its official name: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.). The problem? Some posts, like the one on Broadway, are struggling to attract enough veterans to keep the doors open.
Here, the membership has dropped so much the VFW has struggled to keep the lights on, according to Matthew Dixon-Moran, the commander of Post 2461.
Currently, this VFW has 136 members, down from 149 the year before, Dixon-Moran said.
He said the post has debated its options for close to two years, and ultimately opted to sell the building.
This struggle is one Post 2461 shares with others in Colorado.
"It's slowing down, you have this younger generation coming in," said Bruce Dolan, who oversees VFW posts across the state. "It would be like my father and I wanting to do the same thing together, and it didn't always happen."
Dolan, the adjutant/quartermaster for Colorado, said the younger generation of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are interested in spending their time differently than the older generation of veterans.
"They want to get out in the community, help the community, and they want to do something that would try and cut back on all of these suicides," he said.
In comparison, Dolan, a Vietnam veteran, said his generation looked to a VFW post as a place to gather.
"Sense of you know, kindred-ship, I guess you could say," he said.
A lot has changed since the VFW Post 2461 was first chartered in 1937 and moved homes twice in the Denver area from near the South Platte River to Broadway.
Dixon-Moran said the VFW now has online and social media platforms, which has provided an online community so not all veterans need to go to the post in person.
Dixon-Moran also said combat has changed, and technology like drones can mean fewer boots on the ground. The result? Fewer people are eligible to join the VFW.
Over the last 15 years, Colorado dipped from 120 to 94 post locations.
Win King, who helped broker the deal for VFW Post 2461, said the building was sold to Steven Cook, who's been investing along the South Broadway corridor.
"This was a very lucky location," he said.
Cook said plans for the building haven't been finalized, but that it could include a bar or restaurant. He also said he hopes to preserve the mural on the side facing Broadway and will be encouraging whatever business does move in to honor the history of the building.
Just because the building was sold doesn't mean the VFW Post vanishes.
Dixon-Moran said veterans will continue to meet at a neighboring VFW Post on Colfax Avenue as they consider their long-term options, which could include a short-term lease on a smaller location.
He also said he hopes the post can invest the money from the sale to generate enough income to help cover the costs for a lease as well as their veteran's programs.
Dolan said he will be keeping tabs on how that money is spent.
Dolan said generational difference is an ongoing reality for the VFW over the decades, which is why he is optimistic about the future.
"I can see the change the younger people coming in taking over and doing good," he said, "Five years maybe even 10 years from now things will be fine."
How other posts are doing varies across the state, according to Dolan, who said up north the posts are doing better with membership.
In the northwest corner of the state, participation is so-so and the southwest part of Colorado is seeing more steady membership for VFW posts, Dolan said.
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