DETROIT - Galapagos Art Space Executive Director Robert Elmes cleared up the thought behind listing 138,000-square-foot Detroit building for $6.25 million after owning it for around three years.

His young son was diagnosed with leukemia, he said in an email to MLive. Managing both the Corktown buildings and those purchased in Highland Park became undoable, and selling one of the Corktown buildings for its appraised value was the best option.

Elmes' full statement (that was posted on other media websites before it was emailed to MLive) can be viewed below:

The report of the building's new price tag was met with disdain on social media and other websites, as it wasn't fully explained in initial reports.

Elmes bought the Corktown building -- along with several others -- in 2013. At the time, it cost $500,000. He told local media then that Galapagos was trying to get away from Brooklyn, where the rent wasn't suitable for budding artists.

The Detroit sale (which has been reported as Corktown, but is actually in a slice of the city between Corktown and Southwest), then, seemed to fly in the face of reports that were published a little over a year ago.

As unanticipated circumstances arose, Elmes had to adjust.

In his statement, Elmes hints at intentions to spread the wealth of investment in certain Detroit neighborhoods to places and neighborhoods that aren't seeing much, like Highland Park.

Elmes told Crain's Detroit Business that the group is working on restoring the buildings it actually plans to occupy. Once ready, those buildings will be used for art shows and other productions.

Ian Thibodeau is the business and development reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. He can be reached at ithibode@mlive.com, or follow him on Twitter.