Searching for a New Purpose

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Winter 2012
Searching for a New Purpose
Photo: Paul Brokering
CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL AND OSCAR MALO, JR. MEMORIAL HALL
Throughout its 90-year
existence, the Cathedral
High School and Convent
has been many things: one
of Denver’s preeminent
Catholic schools, a Samaritan Shelter for
the Homeless, a grouping of art studios. It
has brought much to the community and
is still in use today, although not to full
capacity, as the Grant Street Art Studios.
Just around the corner, the Oscar
Malo, Jr. Memorial Hall was one of
the best equipped multipurpose halls in
the city for its time. Not only was this
building a state-of-the art gym, it was
also used for plays, assemblies, diocesan
conventions, dances, and other school
activities. Throughout its 83-year history
the Memorial Hall has acted as a cultural
hub, offering athletics for schoolchildren,
and as a dance and theater class venue.
Most recently Memorial Hall was home
to the “Original Scene,” a citywide youth
theater company operated by Catholic
Youth Services.
Today these two buildings are in
search of a new purpose. Earlier this fall a
Certificate of Non-Historic Status (CNHS)
application was submitted by a developer
that was under contract to acquire the site
where Cathedral High School and Convent,
as well as the Oscar Malo, Jr. Memorial
Hall, proudly stand. The application for
a CNHS, which would allow a demolition permit if granted, triggered a 21-day
posting period to allow for comments or
designation applications from the public.
After hearing from neighbors and
from the general citizens of Denver,
Capitol Hill United Neighbors (CHUN),
Historic Denver, Inc. (HDI), and Colorado
Preservation, Inc. (CPI) submitted two
separate designation applications for the
these two historic properties at 1840
Grant Street and 1835 Logan Street.
The developer recently cancelled their
purchase contract and their plans to demolish the properties. The Certificate for NonHistoric Status application was withdrawn
by the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese and
the Cathedral Parish have now agreed to
negotiate with CHUN, Historic Denver, and
CPI in an effort to explore opportunities for
the buildings’ reuse.
We will now do everything in our
power to ensure that a new owner is found
and sensitive use is considered. There is
room on the site for new construction to
integrate with the existing buildings and
our hope is to maximize the opportunity
for these buildings for the benefit of the
church, the neighborhood, and our city.
History of the
Cathedral High
School and Convent
The Cathedral High School and
Convent, now commonly known as Seton
House, was designed by noted Denver
architect Harry J. Manning and is an
example of Spanish Renaissance Revival
architecture. The Capitol Life Insurance
Building at East 16th and Sherman, the
Mary Reed Library on the University
of Denver campus, Fairmont Elementary
School, the Olin Hotel, and St. Thomas
Episcopal Church in Park Hill are all
extant examples of his work. He was also
among the Allied Architects who planned
Denver’s City and County Building.
Institutional commissions were not
Manning’s only forte; he also designed
opulent homes for many of Denver’s elite,
including those for Charles Boettcher at
continued on page 5
2012 Marks the 100th Anniversary of the
maiden voyage of the Titanic
Join The Molly Brown House Museum in commemorating this important anniversary as
we explore Mrs. Brown’s role in the events surrounding this tragedy as well as Titanic’s
lasting legacy on maritime history. Turn to pages 6 and 7 to read about special events for
2012 such as our new exhibit, a Gala Dinner, concert, lectures, teas, tours, and more!
see page 6
Denver, CO
Permit No. 756
Historic Denver, Inc.
1340 Pennsylvania St.
Denver, CO 80203
PAID
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
Historic Denver News
from the
director
In This Issue:
Page 1
C
athedral High School and Oscar
Malo, Jr. Memorial Hall
Page 2
From the Director
Page 3
Guest Author
Page 4
Preservation Briefs
Page 5
C
athedral High School and Oscar
Malo, Jr. Memorial Hall continued
Page 6-7
Molly Brown House Museum
Commemorates 100th Anniversary of
the Titanic
Page 8
Partners in the Field Program
Page 10
In Remembrance
Page 11
Supporters
Page 12
Calendar of Events
Photo: Havey Productions
At our Annual Dinner & Awards
Program on November 2 we not only
honored last year’s preservation success
stories but also marked an annual organizational transition- the welcoming of a
new class of trustees.
Historic Denver has long been blessed
with an outstanding board, and one that
not merely attends meetings and approves
minutes, but a board that actively engages
with the mission of the organizationserving on committees, advising staff on
preservation, financial, and governance
issues and doing the important work of
friend-raising and fundraising.
Currently the board consists of 32
individuals from a wide range of professions, including architects, preservationists,
accountants, attorneys, community volunteers and activists, contractors, developers
and others. Trustees are nominated by supporters or submit their qualifications during
our board recruitment process in the early
summer each year. A board development
committee reviews applications and meets
with each prospect to further discuss the
organization and each individual’s interest in
preservation. During these meetings prospective board members also indicate what they
feel they can bring to Historic Denver and
the 2011 class is certainly bringing a lot!
Our new trustees, in alphabetical
order, are:
Dedicated to providing the
highest quality legal service
cost effectively.
Specializing in real estate,
corporate and civil transactions
and litigation, including
eminent domain litigation for
both local and national clients.
Lowe, Fell & Skogg, LLC
370 Seventeenth St., Ste. 4900
Denver, CO 80202
720.359.8200
720.359.8201 [fax]
www.lfslaw.com
PAUL BOOKS is President of Palisade
Partners, a real estate development firm
focused on multifamily housing and the
updating of older structures in the Denver
metro area. He is a recent graduate
of University of Denver’s masters program in Real Estate and Construction
Management. Paul has also been active
with the Urban Land Institute’s young
professionals program, coordinating tours
of the city’s neighborhoods for his peers.
RICHARD MURRAY is an associate
attorney with Kennedy Childs P.C. His
general background is public policy. A
graduate of CU, he contributed and codrafted legislation securing millions in
funding for the construction of academic
buildings on CU’s campus. He has great
experience in coordinating fundraising
events to support his many philanthropic
interests.
LARRY NELSON and his wife, Ruth
Falkenberg, make up 620 Corp, a Real
2
Historic Denver Inc.
Estate Development & Management company in Denver. Together they were recently
honored with Colorado Preservation Inc.’s
2011 Dana Crawford Award of Excellence
in Preservation, in part for their tremendous
efforts to save and restore Hangar 61 at
Stapleton.
Historic Denver, Inc.
JACKIE NOBLE is a partner at Noble
Erickson specializing in community-based
research and storytelling. Her creative
and interpretive design work has contributed greatly to many of Colorado’s
historic communities and places, including a significant heritage tourism project
in Steamboat Springs, the interpretation
of Colorado’s Governor’s Residence, and
work on Historic Denver’s own Denver
Story Trek project.
Robert Musgraves
Michael P. Coughlin
Mira Fine
Chair
Vice-Chair
Treasurer
Margy Anderson
Katrina Benes
Anne Wainstein Bond
Paul Books
Karen Brody
Mark Davidson
Stephen P. Ekman
Fabby Hillyard
Sarah Holtze
Dennis Humphries
Sarah S. Krause
James Kroll
Holly Kylberg
Thomas A. Lorz
Carla McConnell
Chris G. Murata
Richard Murray
Larry Nelson
Jackie Noble
David Pfeifer
Jonathan Pray
Bob Sarlo
Mark Sheldon
Rosemary Stoffel
Cyndi Stovall
Taylor Swallow
Margaret Toal
Elizabeth Walker
Bill Wenk
BOB SARLO is President of Interlock
Construction Corp., a general contracting
company with experience in the municipal
and public sector. Their expertise has contributed greatly to refurbishing and improving many of our historic structures including Denver’s Libraries, DCPA, Denver Art
Museum, and Red Rocks Amphitheater.
TAYLOR SWALLOW is a local real estate
developer with Transactional Funding,
LLC. He has a great passion for Denver’s
historic structures and neighborhoods and
has been an active member of Historic
Denver’s One Past 5 Committee almost
since its inception, chairing several events,
including Night in Historic Denver during
our 40th Anniversary celebrations in 2010.
BILL WENK is a Principal with Wenk &
Associates, a landscape architecture and
planning firm he founded in Denver in
1982. Wenk & Associates has extensive
experience with historic landscapes having done work for the National Parks
Service and for the city of Denver, most
recently working on the Washington Park
Master Plan. Wenk & Associates is located in the Golden Triangle where Bill is an
active community member.
As we welcome these new members
we also want to thank outgoing trustees
who have either completed one or two
three-year terms, Bar Chadwick and Holly
Dencker. Both Bar and Holly served on
the Resource Development Committee
and contributed to our fundraising efforts
in critical ways.
On behalf of the entire Historic
Denver staff I want to thank both our
out-going and incoming trustees for their
diligence and dedication. As an organization we are truly fortunate to have such
a qualified and passionate group to guide
our efforts and help us to navigate the
sometimes turbulent waters of the nonprofit world.
You can find a complete listing of
Historic Denver’s board on our website at
www.historicdenver.org/about-us.
Annie Levinsky
Executive Director
Historic Denver, Inc.
1340 Pennsylvania Ave.
Denver, CO 80203.
303.534.5288 tel.
www.historicdenver.org
Board of Trustees
HD Central Office
Executive Director Annie Levinsky x14
Outreach Coordinator
Sophie Bieluczyk x16
Director of Preservation Programs
John Olson x11
Director of Preservation Advocacy Alice Gilbertson x20
Preservation Advice and
Referrals
A Program of Historic Denver
303.534.5288 x 4
Molly Brown
House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania St.
Denver, CO 80203
303.832.4092
www.mollybrown.org
Director of Operations Andrea Malcomb x15
Curator of Collections Nicole Roush x12
Volunteer and Program Coordinator
Emily Dobish x10
Museum Educator
Darcie Martin x17
Historic Denver News
Managing Editor
Sophie Bieluczyk
Graphic Design
Printing
Mailhouse
303.534.5288 x16
Edgellworks
Southeast Denver Graphics
Direct Mail Concepts
Historic Denver News welcomes your letters,
contents of which may be edited for length and
clarity. Please include your name, address and
telephone number in correspondence to:
Editor, Historic Denver News,
1628 16th St., Suite 200, Denver CO 80202.
Winter 2012
Guest
Author
The Aurarians and the La Alma-Lincoln Park residents maintained a close cultural
bond as families shared lives through marriages, births and deaths. Many historic homes
remain in the La Alma- Lincoln Park neighborhood but time has taken its toll and the
long roots of the area are not always apparent. However, the old “neighborhood house,”
where events and fiestas were celebrated, still stands on the northeast corner of Lincoln
Park and is part of the park.
Gonzalez Family and Casa Mayan Restaurant
of Auraria
The Gonzalez family in front of Casa Mayan restaurant
Auraria Casa Mayan Heritage Collection
Latino Community Development in
Denver
Trini H. G onzalez, Co-Founder Auraria Casa Mayan Heritage
Historic Denver has partnered with the Auraria Casa Mayan Heritage on a number
of occasions as their mission provides our organization an opportunity to connect with
one of our most important preservation projects ever, saving a block of homes (Ninth
Street Historic Park) in what was once the city’s oldest neighborhood. Trini Gonzalez
is a co-founder of Auraria Casa Mayan Heritage, a descendent of “displaced Aurarians”
and a collector of oral histories. She has provided the Historic Denver News with this
overview of Latino community development in Denver.
Historical Overview of the Latino Community
in Colorado
Since Juan de Oñate’s 1598 expedition into the unchartered territories of New Spain
(Mexico) the present state of New Mexico became the migration route of Hispanos and
Mexicans who traversed north into the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado. The more
than one million Mexicans who fled the Mexican Revolution between 1910 and 1920 used
the same path. The effect of the revolution migration has left a mark; Chicana/o and Latino
communities in the United States today are descendants from these demographic groups.
As Colorado grew and transformed throughout the decades, many Hispanos
from Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico, along with Mexicans, settled in
Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley and the South Platte, as well as Denver’s Auraria.
Those working-class people supported Colorado’s agricultural labor shortage in the
1920s beet fields, railroads and mines. Latinos served in World War II (1939-1945) and
their compadres from Mexico became temporary guest workers throughout the U. S. as
part of the Bracero Program from 1942 to 1964. By the end of the program “4.6 million
contracts were signed.” In northern Colorado labor camps were built in Fort Lupton,
Fort Collins, Eaton, Greeley, Longmont, and Brighton.
The history of La Alma-Lincoln Park neighborhood is part of this story but dates back
to Denver’s origins along the west bank of Cherry Creek at the confluence and the South
Platte River. By April 1860, Auraria and the three other early settlements incorporated into
one settlement: “Denver City.” The Auraria section of the city grew to the south where
Lincoln Park, one of the earliest planned parks, is today. The neighborhood became a distinctly rich mixture of ethnic groups. Auraria, and the now La Alma-Lincoln Park neighborhood, has continually redefined and sustained itself as a diverse and thriving community.
The author’s grandparents Ramon and Carolina Gonzalez, the author’s great uncle Jose
and the author’s great-grandparents Trinidad and Belen originally came from Chihuahua,
Chihuahua, Mexico. They lived in El Paso, Texas, just across the river from Juarez,
Chihuahua, a hot bed of the Mexican Revolution. Carolina was a practical nurse who
worked with Dr. Love to aid the injured soldiers during the revolution, but after weathering
several years of turmoil the whole family migrated north to Colorado in 1918.
After living in Auraria for a decade, they purchased the house at 1020 9th Street in
1933. The structure is Denver’s oldest clapboard house, built in 1872 by pioneer dentist
Dr. William Smedley. By 1946 the family home, with seven children, evolved into the
Casa Mayan restaurant and cultural center, renowned for its hospitality, music, and the
authentic Mexican cuisine it introduced to the community at large. The Gonzalez family
shared entrepreneurial skills and passion for the arts, but it was their generosity and love
of people that made the home a refuge and gathering place. It served as a hub for many
clubs, national and international artists, musicians, writers, athletes, politicians, and
architects. The Casa Mayan was able to bridge social, cultural and economic barriers at
a time when divisions were common.
A representative of the family’s diverse interests, Jose Gonzales, was truly a
Renaissance man and eclectic artist. He worked as a photographer, fine artist, sculptor, ceramicist, carpenter, architect, had a beautiful tenor voice and studied at the
Conservatory of Music in Mexico City. Among his many accomplishments is the
terra cotta relief of Mayan motifs inside the historic Mayan Theatre and the Colorado
State Historical Society. During the Progress Works Administration (WPA) he created
Transportation Series: Carreta (Carretero) Mule Train diorama in 1935.
Although the Casa Mayan was still enjoying its glory years, by the late 1950s the
Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) and others considered Auraria “blighted.” In
1966 the area was selected to become Metropolitan State College, and later became a
shared 169-acre campus for Metropolitan State College, Community College of Denver
and University of Colorado Extension Center under the Auraria Higher Education Center
(AHEC). “In 1969, The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated $12.6 million to be used for land purchase and clearing if Denver provided $6 million dollars.” On November 4, 1969 Denver’s citizens voted and passed the six million
dollar bond issue.
The construction of the new campus displaced a whole community of families, individuals and businesses in the 38-block Auraria area. At the time, Denver was facing a
serious low-cost housing shortage. The Auraria Resident Association (ARO) and other
community members objected to the proposed site for the campuses because of the challenges of relocating Auraria residents. Many in the tight-knit community felt they did
not have a voice in the decision making process. As a consequence, homes and historic
sites of old Auraria were demolished. The Spanish-speaking community estimated at 350
families and 200 businesses was dispersed.
In 1972, Don and Carolyn Etter, Ken Watson, Executive Director of Historic Denver,
Inc. (HD), Dana Crawford, developer of Larimer Square, and other preservationists
and foundations rallied together to raise significant dollars to save the oldest residential
block of Victorian era houses in Denver
continued on page 10
The La Alma-Lincoln Park Latino Community
The name La Alma is derived from the Spanish word “the soul.” The stories of
Auraria and La Alma-Lincoln Park are still intertwined, but historically their common
ground was the Spanish Colonial St. Cajetan’s Church built in 1925, which provided
spiritual guidance to both communities. St. Cajetan’s is now an event venue on the
Auraria campus and the original congregation meets at a new St. Cajetan’s at 299 South
Raleigh Street.
Historic Denver Inc.
3
Historic Denver News
Preservation
Briefs
Nurses’ Dorm and Quad on the
University of Colorado Denver Health
Sciences Campus
By John Olson, Director of Preservation Programs
Cleaning up the Edbrooke
By John Olson, Director of Preservation Programs
There is both a new and an old vibe when traveling on 15th Street through LoDo.
There are unabashedly modern statements like the MCA building at Delgany and older
remnants of how rail once ruled the streets with the Moffat Station near Little Raven.
Other vital historic buildings and valuable new infill now line the entry of LoDo’s edge
and help create a vibrant residential and business mix. One building set firmly in this mix
is beginning to get a bit of a “new car” shine on its classic façade. It is the Edbrooke Lofts
on the southeast corner of 15th & Wynkoop. The Edbrooke was a real catalyst for the
area and a pioneer in residential living for LoDo.
Built on the original site of the Washington Hotel and Studebaker Buggy and Carriage
House, the Edbrooke was constructed in 1906 for the Spratlen-Anderson Mercantile
Company. In 1905, Frank Edbrooke was hired to plan a four-story warehouse to replace
the old wood frame building formerly on this site, and a fifth story was added even before
the initial construction was completed. In 1911 a sixth floor was added, also designed by
Edbrooke, with detailing identical to that on the fifth floor.
Architect Edbrooke first came to Denver from Chicago in 1879. After supervising
the construction of the Tabor Block and the Tabor Grand Opera House, he stayed on
to become one of the city’s most notable and successful architects. He is especially noted
for his design of the Brown Palace Hotel, the Navarre, the Masonic Temple Building, the
Oxford Hotel, and the Denver Dry Building.
Spratlen-Anderson continued to lease the building until they went out of business
in 1923. At that time the building was owned by George Fry and Robert J. Grant, who
then sold the building to the Davis Brothers Drug Company. The drug company occupied the warehouse until they built more modern facilities elsewhere in 1957. The Lande
Manufacturing Company, producers of upholstered chairs, was located here until 1978.
In 1988, developer Dana Crawford purchased and renovated the building into residential
loft condominiums and renamed it Edbrooke Lofts in honor of its designer.
This is the building as we now know it; a shining example of rehabilitation and reuse.
The Edbrooke is credited as being the first of the great loft developments in the area and
its continued care stands as a beacon to the many developments that followed and filled
in 15th Street and beyond.
The design of the building is regular, simple, and elegant, with each of its elevations
divided into three parts like a column, an approach often used in early high-rise construction. All the openings are detailed with molded brick architrave trim and stone sills,
double-hung sash, brick mullions, and recessed brick panel spandrels. The water tower on
the roof was added for a sprinkler system in 1915. It is no longer in use but was restored
as a historical artifact and fantastic signage.
Time, traffic, pollution, weather, and other factors have taken their toll on the
Edbrooke, as it has for many buildings that share its history. The masonry elements on
the north façade lining 15th Street were especially hard hit. That is why Historic Denver
applied for a State Historical Fund Grant on behalf of the building management and is
currently managing the awarded grant to clean up the very visible face of 15th Street.
Masonry cleaning, brick repair and replacement, repointing, as well as repair and replacement of its sandstone sills and decorative bands are well under way. In fact, they are
almost complete as of press time. In addition, the cornice has been beautifully painted and
looks brightly down upon the improvements below.
The next time you are in LoDo, in the vicinity of 15th and Wynkoop, take a gander
to the southeast to see a little bit of new in the midst of the old. The Edbrooke, one of the
pioneers of residential living in the area has a clean new look on its classically old façade!
Sembler, an Atlanta-based
firm, went under contract
in April for the purchase of
approximately 28-acres from
the University of Colorado centered at 9th & Colorado Blvd.
This was just two months after
Shea Properties withdrew from
a mixed use project for the site
that they had been planning for
six years.
Historic Denver, Inc. had
been working with Shea in an
agreement to designate as a
local landmark the original
Nurses’ Dorm and Quadrangle on the campus as a piece of the project. Historic Denver
has continued those negotiations with Sembler and will begin the process of designation
with the developer as soon as the sale is closed.
Sembler first presented their initial concept for retail, a natural grocer, other small and
medium sized retail shops, and a restaurant row along Eighth Avenue at the July meeting
of the Colorado Boulevard Health Care District (CBHD). CBHD is a consortium or steering committee of neighborhood representatives from Bellevue-Hale, Capitol Hill United
Neighborhoods, Congress Park, Hilltop, and Mayfair as well as institutional representatives from the hospitals in the area. Sembler is also proposing multi-unit residential on the
east side of the property, as Shea Properties had.
Constructed in 1924 as part of the original 17-acre, four-building campus of the
University of Colorado’s health sciences center, the Nurses’ Dormitory was designed by
Maurice B. Biscoe in conjunction with the local architecture firm of Fisher and Fisher. The
other three buildings that made up the campus included the School of Medicine/Colorado
General Hospital, the Colorado Psychopathic Hospital (later Psychiatric Hospital), and
the Power Plant.
Though they varied significantly in scale and use, all of these buildings were designed
to be modestly Classical, projecting an impression of respectability and authority without
extravagance or domination.
It is the hope of Historic Denver that the Nurses’ Dorm and Quad will return to a
sense of prominence and high activity when the project is complete and that this small
piece of the original campus will help to educate visitors about what has occurred over
the last 90 years on the site. =
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Photo: Paul Brokering
Winter 2012
The Oscar Malo, Jr. Memorial Hall seen
today from Logan Street
777 Washington (demolished), Oscar
Malo at East 8th and Pennsylvania, and
most gloriously for Mrs. Verner Z. Reed
on Circle Drive.
The elegant 3-story building of
Cathedral High School features a large
center courtyard connecting the former
high school on the north to the former
rectory and convent on the south. The
courtyard is enclosed by an arched cloister
to the east and a decorative stucco and
wrought iron wall to the west. Original
wood windows and terra cotta elements as
well as a four story bell tower characterize
the finely detailed exterior aspects of the
building. Both the interior and exterior of
the building possess a high level of architectural integrity even with an addition
to the school portion of the building on
the north, which was constructed in the
early 1950s. The addition was designed
to closely match the style of the original
construction.
The building features a red clay tile
roof and original arched wood doors.
Although the wood windows and doors are
deteriorated by weather and some cracking
in the stucco is evident, the building has
been judged to be in very good condition.
The skin of the building is covered in
painted smooth stucco. A few decorative
cartouches with cruciform symbols are
located in the courtyard to punctuate the
space. The open arcades of the second
floor cloisters are decorated with trefoil
arches, chamfered columns and Greek
cross forms inset within round medallions. The first floor arcade is open on
the east with Romanesque forms and infilled with windows on the south. Highly
decorative plaster on the walls and ceilings
of the interior accentuate window and
door openings, as well as complement the
Renaissance Revival style vaults in the
hallways and chapel.
Construction was handled by Charles
J. Dunn, a local contractor, at a total
cost of $135,000. Dunn was a prominent
citizen responsible for a large amount of
the construction in Denver during the late
19th century and early 20th century. Dunn,
a resident of Denver since 1887, was a
general carpenter and builder with many
contracts for private and public buildings.
The Cathedral High School and
Convent is not simply a beautiful historic
building assemblage, it’s associated closely
with the history and development of the
Catholic Archdiocese of Denver. Cathedral
High School was one of Denver’s preeminent Catholic schools. Because Cathedral
High School was owned by the Denver’s
Catholic Archdiocese it drew its students
from a variety of neighborhoods across
the city. During the first fifty years of the
school’s history it was said to be one of the
“outstanding denominational educational
institutions in the city and has been the
model for many others.”
When the building was dedicated on October 24, 1921 there was a
great parade, consisting of 3500 marchers. School children formed a line near
the Cathedral and marched down Grant
Street, ending at a reviewing stand in front
of the school where archbishops, bishops,
patients at a time. After the mission closed
the building has been used primarily as the
Grant Street Artist Studios.
History of Oscar Malo,
Jr. Memorial Hall
The neighboring Oscar Malo, Jr.
Memorial Hall, designed by noted architect Eugene Groves was built in 1928
- 1929 by the F.J. Kirchhof Construction
Company. Groves was educated at
Harvard and began practicing in New
York but came to Denver in 1914 to seek
The Cathedral High School classrooms
viewed today from 19th Street.
and priests were seated. During a speech
by Father McMenamin, he said: “Without
hesitancy we declare that our new high
school and convent form the most artistic
architectural unit in Colorado. And we
know of not a single convent and school
of the land to surpass them. Surely that
is high praise, and a distinction to make
the people of Cathedral Parish feel justly
proud. These buildings, with the site, have
cost us about $150,000. Some cry extravagance, for they could have been erected
at a cost of $50,000 less but they would
have lost much of their stability, and
almost all of their beauty. We believe that
the extra $50,000 was well spent. When
one is building a memorial to God and
religion, there can be no extravagance,
except that which hopelessly involves a
parish in debt.”
In 1982 the school closed its doors
due to dwindling enrollment and growing
debts. Later that year Archbishop James
V. Casey announced that the former high
school would be turned into a Samaritan
Shelter for the Homeless. In 1989 Mother
Teresa visited Denver and opened a mission at Seton House. She returned for the
dedication ceremonies on August 5, 1990.
Until 2003 the property provided housing
and community support for 10 to 12 AIDS
treatment for his poor health. He had
an active regional practice for over five
decades in which he utilized many styles
including: Modern, Renaissance Revival,
and Colonial Revival, however his experimentation combining styles is perhaps
what makes him most significant.
The building was constructed as a
“modern” gymnasium and auditorium to
serve the existing Cathedral High School
and lower schools assembled on the block.
The building was constructed out of red
brick and cream terra cotta, featuring
both neo-classical elements and linear,
streamlined designs, more in keeping with
the era of its design. The main entry is
located on the east façade and features a
low terra cotta arch surrounded by glazing. The parapet roof features a decorative
terra cotta cornice with decorative terra
cotta panels spaced around the perimeter
of the parapet. The vast column free interior space is accomplished by steel trusses,
and an original suspended walkway or
track is hung above the ground floor.
Not only is the building historically
significant as a creation of Eugene Groves
in the late Renaissance Revival architectural style in Denver, it is also important
for its association with noted philanthropists and prominent Denver citizens,
Oscar and Edith Malo. The cost of the
building was substantially covered by a
donation in memory of their deceased
son, Oscar Malo, Jr., who died in 1921 of
blood poisoning.
When it was built the gymnasium was
one of the best equipped in the city, featuring a boxing ring, punching bags, complete facilities for basketball and volleyball,
hanging rings, and trapeze equipment. The
building even had a complete apparatus
for showing motion pictures, making the
gymnasium an educational asset.
Between the two historic structures is
a vacant parking lot, also owned by the
Cathedral Parish. Together the three sites
are in need of a new owner with a vision
for integrating new development with the
site’s rich history. If you have ideas or suggestions please contact Historic Denver at
303-534-5288 ext. 11. =
Photo: Paul Brokering
TOW N S C A P E S L L C
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TITANIC
100 years after
the sinking of the Titanic, this compelling
human story continues to engage people of all ages. Perhaps it is the sheer
size and grandeur of the vessel, or the
many questions regarding the choices
made in the last hour the ship was
above water, are some of what continue
to intrigue us years later. The number
of first hand accounts, from the ship’s
survivors, help demystify some of what
happened. Margaret Brown, aboard
the ship to visit her sick grandchild,
wrote a three part series of her account
for the Newport Herald. Dorothea
Gibson, a Hollywood actress aboard
Titanic, starred in a film on the subject
several years later. Violet Jessop, crew
member on Olympic and Titanic, gives
us her account of what happened from
the crew’s perspective. There are also
court ordered inquiries wtih accounts
that allow us to recreate the events of
the sinking. Additionally, after the ship
was found on the ocean floor in 1985
we have the eerie footage of the wreck
site from the two submersibles that
explored the sunken ship. Despite all
these sources there are still many questions to be answered; questions that
perhaps we will never find answers for.
Titanic and Molly Brown are two
names which at this point in history
are virtually synonymous. Many historians cite Titanic as being the event
which propelled Margaret Brown to
international fame. Prior to this point
she would have been well known in
the social and philanthropic circles in
Denver, Leadville, and Newport, RI.
Her activities in these areas would have
made
her reasonably wellknown on a national level. Denver
newspapers, from
the days immediately following
the Titanic tragedy, express concern
that
Margaret
and possibly her
daughter did not
survive the sinking. This would
seem to indicate
that Margaret
was well known
and well liked.
Her
experience on Titanic
garnered
her
media spotlight,
which she used to
put pressure on the
outdated Maritime
Laws. Today, years
after the sinking, it is
Margaret Brown who
is called “Unsinkable”
and not Titanic.
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Luxury
When Margaret needed to return to
the United States earlier than she had
intended, to check on her ill grandson,
the Titanic just happened to be preparing for its maiden voyage. Titanic was
the epitome of luxury to the upper
class late Victorian woman. Stories
of its elegance were part of the ship’s
advertising campaign. Realizing that it
could not be the fastest ship to travel
the Atlantic ocean, Titanic decided to
fill a different niche for trans-Atlantic
passengers. Margaret describes Titanic
as a “wonderful floating palace.” Mrs.
Isidor Strauss described Titanic in a letter, “But what a ship! It’s so huge and
so magnificently appointed.”
Its interior décor would have been
impressive, even to the many wealthy
first class passengers, who were used
to a life of luxuries. In addition to
the wonderful décor, Titanic featured
many other perks for its passengers. It
had an indoor heated salt water swimming pool, a gymnasium, Turkish and
electric baths, a steam room, 4 electric
elevators, a squash court, 3 barber
shops, a 1st class lounge modeled after
Versailles, and much more. Titanic also
had a newspaper printed daily, an A
la carte style restaurant; a relatively
new concept for the time–people could
order what they wanted from a menu
instead of having a set dinner.
The food aboard the ship was some
of the best available, breakfast in first
class included baked apple; fresh fruit;
several kinds of cereal; haddock and
smoked salmon; grilled ham, sausage
and mutton; kidneys and bacon; vegetable stew; fried, poached, and boiled
eggs; plain and tomato omelets; sirloin
steak and mutton chops; mashed, sautéed, and baked potatoes; scones, rolls,
corn bread and buckwheat cakes with
jam, honey or marmalade.
The ship was luxurious for its third
class passengers as well. The third class,
often referred to as steerage because
the rooms were usually located on the
lowest deck where the control strings to
the rudder ran, was provided with three
hot meals a day. On other ships passengers traveling in steerage would have
been required to bring all their own
food and cook meals for themselves.
Aboard Titanic Margaret socialized with the upper crust of society. She
was traveling with John Jacob Astor
and his wife Madeline, but could have
met Benjamin Guggenheim, Sir Cosmo,
a Scottish aristocrat and sportsman,
Lady Duff Gordon, the dress designer,
or Isidor Strauss, worth $50 million.
Technology
In addition to its luxury, Margaret
was probably compelled to purchase
her first class ticket because Titanic had
a number of new technologies. It was
rumored to be “Unsinkable” because
of the sixteen water tight compartments that had electronically controlled
doors that could be opened and closed
from the bridge. The bridge was an
important room because the navigational and speed decisions were made
in this room as well. An engine room
telegraph would connect the bridge
to the engine room. If the Captain
ordered a speed change he would have
used this telegraph to communicate
in the huge ship. Titanic also had two
Marconi operators, whose sole purpose
was to transmit passenger’s messages to
land. The wireless operators were not
employed by White Star, so they did not
work primarily for the ship.
LECTURE SERIES
The Unsinkable Molly
Brown Film
Tuesday, April 3, 7:00 pm
$12 / person
Denver Film Center Colfax
2510 E. Colfax Ave.
The Denver Film Society and the
Molly Brown House Museum
welcome you to a special
screening of The Unsinkable
Molly Brown. The Titanic
tragedy propelled Mrs. Margaret
Brown to international fame
during her lifetime, but the
musical created a lasting legacy
of an incorrigible and unsinkable
Molly Brown. After the film, stay
for a discussion of myth versus
reality and belly up to the bar for
light refreshments.
Call 303-832-4092 x10 or visit
www.mollybrown.org for tickets.
Aftermath
When Titanic set sail on April 10,
1912 it truly represented the number
of technological advances that were
products of the industrial revolution.
As the largest moveable object made
by mankind at the time, Titanic set sail
as the triumph of the modern age. It
carried approximately 2228 and had
10% more lifeboats than Maritime law
required. Aside from the many lives
that perished on the night of April 15,
1912; luxury and technology had also
been dealt a fatal blow. Despite all the
advances in science and technology
that had been ushered in during the
Victorian period, man’s advances had
been overcome by a giant floating piece
of ice. Many people’s reaction was that
God was punishing them for trying to
go too far. Did people really assume
that if the ticket price was high enough,
the ship would be incapable of sinking?
Some scholars feel that this tragedy
marked the end of an already fragile
social system. It also weakened public
trust in material progress, which previously had seemed so steady. Despite
Titanic’s disaster and the tragedies of
World War I, by 1930 ocean liners
would nearly double Titanic’s size and
offer many of the same luxurious found
aboard Titanic. Interestingly, some feel
that we haven’t learned enough from
Titanic’s tragedy and we have to relearn
the lesson periodically. Grandson of
a survivor Spencer Silverthorne feels
“that we learned nothing about overconfidence and losing respect for the
forces of nature, did you watch Apollo
13 on TV?” Hopefully the greatest
lesson learned, is that despite our successes with technology, safety must
never be forgotten even in light of new
innovations.
Meet “Molly” Brown’s
Descendent
Thursday, April 12, 5:30-7:00 pm
Brown Palace Hotel, 321 17th Street
$12 / person
Meet Margaret “Molly” Brown’s
descendent Muffet Laurie Brown
who will recount her greatgrandmother’s Titanic experience
and life as the Heroine of the
Titanic. Call 303-832-4092 x10
or visit www.mollybrown.org for
tickets.
Unsinkable: The
Titanic in American
Culture, 1912-2012
Tuesday, April 17, 1:00 pm and
7:00pm
Scottish Rite Masonic Center
1370 Grant Street
History Colorado welcomes
Steven Biel author of Down
with the Old Canoe: A Cultural
History of the Titanic Disaster, as
he explores how Americans have
made sense of the century-old
Titanic disaster of April 1912.
For information and reservations
call 303-866-4686 or visit
www.historycolorado.org
Denver’s Heroine of the Titanic
on View at the Molly
Brown House Museum
February 15 December 31, 2012
100 years ago the fateful sinking
of the famous luxury liner Titanic
propelled Margaret “Molly” Brown to
international fame. Join the Molly Brown
House Museum in commemorating
this important anniversary as we
explore Mrs. Brown’s role in the events
surrounding this tragedy as well as
Titanic’s lasting legacy. Explore the
Titanic with us and experience why
this compelling human story is still so
fascinating to us even today.
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Titanic Gala Dinner
& FUNDRAISER
Saturday, April 14, 6:30pm
Individual Ticket $175
Patron Ticket $225 / person
In honor of the 100th Anniversary, experience the excitement and
opulence of a once-in-a-lifetime, 1st Class Titanic gala complete with
a delicious six-course meal served by costumed stewards. Waltz the
night away to music played aboard the Titanic as it steamed across
the Atlantic Ocean and into history. Patron level ticket holders will
enjoy a special pre-dinner cocktail reception at 5:30pm
and meet Mrs. Brown’s descendant. The evening
will set sail from Denver’s historic Oxford
Hotel, just a block from Union Station
and will truly be a Night to Remember! As
a gala fundraising event, all proceeds for
the evening will go towards the continued
restoration and upkeep of the Unsinkable
Molly Brown’s Denver home. This event
includes a membership to Historic Denver, our
parent organization, as well as complimentary
Museum tour tickets.
Margaret Brown presented Captain
Rostron of the Carpathia with a silver
loving cup for his heroic efforts. She
also gave each crewmember a medal
as President of the Titanic Survivors
Committee.
The Sinking of the Titanic
The JACK Quartet with Payton MacDonald
and Young Voices of Colorado
Sunday, April 15, 4:00 pm
Gates Concert Hall, Newman Center for Performing Arts
$30 / person General Admission
A musical event 100 years in the making! Be transformed by
the sounds of that fateful night with The Sinking of the Titanic,
composed by Gavin Bryars, arranged by Payton MacDonald
and performed by the renowned JACK Quartet. Hear also
MacDonald’s own composition, Lifeboat No. 6, and learn about
Denver’s own heroine of the Titanic, Margaret “Molly” Brown.
This amazing concert is the work of our friends at the Newman
Center for Performing Arts and Friends of Chamber Music.
Tickets: 303-871-7720 or www.newmancenterpresents.com
Make the night a couple’s getaway by reserving one
of the Oxford Hotel’s luxurious rooms. Just mention
“Molly Brown” and receive a special discounted
rate for the night of April 14th.
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Historic Denver News
THE CONCLUSION OF THE
PARTNERS IN THE
FIELD PROGRAM
By Alice Gilbertson
Director of Preservation
Advocacy
Three years ago, Historic Denver
proudly announced the receipt of a
Partners in the Field (PIF) grant from the
National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The intent of the Partners in the Field
program is to expand preservation support to first-ring suburbs and post World
War II communities. These communities
have little, if any, field support but have
great buildings and neighborhoods with
interesting stories to tell. The Trust’s
funding for the program was made possible by a gift from the Robert W. Wilson
Charitable Trust. Historic Denver’s cash
match for the program came from generous donations from Historic Denver supporters, including:
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Carol Burt
Falkenberg Foundation
Susan Barnes-Gelt and William Stanfill
Jerrold Glick and Shannon Gifford
Robert Musgraves and Joan Prusse
Martin J. and Mary Anne O’Fallon
Fund (Martin and Julie Harrington)
Elizabeth Schlosser
Sprung Construction
Tryba Architects
Charles and Karin Woolley
The first step taken by Historic
Denver when launching the grant-funded
program was to determine which Denver
metro areas to serve. Staff completed basic
reconnaissance and archival research to
better understand the history of cities and
towns adjacent to Denver. We also introduced ourselves to city staff members
and historical societies, if they existed, to
better understand their needs. From this
effort, Historic Denver staff and volunteer interns began developing a series of
“How To” workshops and designing a
template for neighborhood Pattern and
Design Idea Books, which were two of
the common themes we heard during our
needs assessment. To introduce what we
hope will be the next generation of preservationists to our cause; we also created
a series of after-hour events for the young
(and young at heart) called One Past 5.
The cities chosen for the Partners
in the Field program included Arvada
and Littleton, both early Colorado communities which experienced tremendous
growth following World War II. In addition, we strengthened our preservation
efforts in Denver to offer the workshop series to various neighborhoods. As
Andrea Mimnaugh, Historic Preservation
Planner for the City of Littleton explains,
“By sharing its expertise and resources,
Historic Denver has allowed us to expand
our programming and outreach and to
initiate important and creative programs
that would otherwise have had to wait
– a dangerous risk in the preservation
business – or perhaps never have been
accomplished at all.”
To meet the needs of our partner
communities, a variety of “How To”
workshops have been developed and presented to pre-and post World War II
neighborhoods across the metro area
over the past few years. While creating the workshops, staff worked with
professional preservation tradespersons
and a videographer to create videos for
use in the workshops and as stand-alone
instructional videos available online at
historicdenver.org. “The resources that
were developed by Historic Denver during this project have been phenomenal
and will be useful to our citizens for
years to come. I have been able to direct
a number of homeowners to the videos
and slide presentations to use as a tool
in their home improvement projects, and
they have been very appreciative,” said
Cheryl Drake, Senior Planner for the City
of Arvada.
The first workshop in the four-part
series is known as Preservation Basics
and provides an overview of what historic
preservation is and is not while explaining the different levels of historic designation and the associated responsibilities
and benefits, such as federal and state
tax credits. The second workshop covers Energy Audits and Energy Efficiency.
For this workshop, we partnered with
SolarCity and Straw Hat Pictures to film
actual energy audits in three historic
homes, including a 1920’s bungalow in
Arvada, an 1880’s Italianate in Curtis
Park, and a 1960’s mid-century modern
in Littleton. In addition to exposing the
causes for heat loss or gain in each home,
the workshop explains simple solutions
any owner can take to improve their
home’s energy efficiency. Third in the
workshop series is Masonry and Exterior
Wood Trim Repair, which includes a
video featuring Bart Baker of Building
Restoration Specialists demonstrating tips
and tools for matching mortar and tackling repairs to trim using materials such
as epoxy. The fourth workshop addressed
the issue of Window Weatherization,
including a discussion on the environmental and economic benefits of repair
versus replacement and hands-on demonstrations of repair techniques, tools, and
materials. Historic Denver will have presented 32 “How To” workshops in eight
neighborhoods by early 2012.
A popular program undertaken as
part of the Partners in the Field project
has been the development of Pattern
and Design Idea Books for Arvada and
Littleton. Historic Denver and graduate level architecture students at the
University of Colorado’s Colorado Center
for Community Development have been
working closely with property owners
in pre and post-war neighborhoods to
research and summarize the history of
the cities and each neighborhood. Kim
Grant, Grants Administrator for the
City of Arvada said, “For City staff, it
was especially gratifying to work with
the graduate architecture students who
helped with development of the pattern
books. Though none of them were born
when the neighborhoods were developed,
Historic Denver Preservation Programs Contractor,
Phil Barlow, demonstrates window repair techniques
during a Window Weatherization Workshop for
Partners in the Field
they enthusiastically embraced the project
and offered fresh ideas and perspectives
about our community.”
The books focus on the prevalent
housing styles and character defining features of the styles. They offer two and
three dimensional architectural illustrations of appropriate rehabilitations and
additions to these historic homes with a
focus on preservation of historic character, universal design concepts related
to age-in-place, and sustainability. The
target audience for the books includes
current and prospective homeowners and
realtors. While in Arvada, we located
continued next page
“The pattern books
helped unearth research
on the history of our pre and
early post-war neighborhoods
and stimulated interest in the
rehabilitation of houses in a
manner that respects their
historic character, which in turn
helped to improve the image
of these neighborhoods in the
broader real estate market.
It was really exciting to find
original sales brochures and
marketing materials about the
post-war neighborhoods
as these areas played such
a formative role in the
evolution of Arvada.”
Kim Grant
Grants Administrator, City of Arvada
Cover of the “Pattern and Design Idea Book for Post-War Homes in Arvada” which illustrates possible interior remodels and exterior expansions for
six different ranch-style houses in the Alta Vista and Allendale subdivisions of Arvada.
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Historic Denver Inc.
Historic Denver NewsNovember • December
Winter 2006
2012
2011 annual dinner
The 41st Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony
held on November 2, 2011 was Historic Denver’s largest dinner yet with more than 400 guests. If you couldn’t make it to the
dinner, please view the Community Preservation Awards video produced by Havey Productions at
historicdenver.org/programs/annual-awards-dinner/
The Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony is a significant fundraiser for Historic Denver which supports our on-going education,
advocacy and direct preservation projects. We would like to once again thank all the sponsors who made this event a success.
Silver Sponsors:
Holland and Hart
Scott Miller and Tim Gill
Bronze Sponsors:
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty/
The Wolfe Group
Lowe, Fell & Skogg
NAI Shames Makovsky Realty
Spectrum General Contractors
Building Restoration Specialties
Table Sponsors:
Bob Musgraves and Joan Prusse
City and County of Denver
Colorado State Historical Fund
Hein & Associates
Hensel Phelps
Humphries Poli Architects
JVA Engineers
Kaplan, Kirsch, Rockwell
Larry Nelson and Ruth Falkenberg
Magnolia Hotel/Stout Street Hospitality
Northern Trust Bank
Otten Johnson Robinson Neff & Ragonetti
RedPeak Properties
Sage Hospitality Resources
Sherman & Howard
SlaterPaull Architects
Sprung Construction/Centennial Bank
St. Charles Town Company
Suncor Energy
Tryba Architects
Union Station Neighborhood Company
several post-war homes built with bomb
shelters as a unique amenity and one
resident had kept all of the original
marketing materials, including renderings and floor plans, of the most popular
house styles in the neighborhood. That
saved us a lot of work in completing
the as-built drawings since measuring
homes during the 100 degree days of July
has its challenges! While the Aberdeen
Village (Littleton) book is still in the
design phase, the other two books, for
Pre-WWII Homes in Arvada and PostWWII Homes in Arvada, are available at
Historic Denver’s website.
In addition to the workshops and
booklets, another major initiative to the
Partners in the Field program was the
development of a strategy for surveying
Denver’s built environment. Historic
Denver, in partnership with the City of
Denver, has begun a city-wide survey
known as Discover Denver! The survey
strategy was the first step in determining if and how a comprehensive survey
of Denver could be accomplished in a
cost effective, relevant, and timely manner. The strategy, completed in Fall
2011 with the assistance of consultants
Winter and Company and a volunteer
Advisory Group, identified best practices
and recommendations for completing a
historic resources inventory. Following
the award of a second State Historical
Fund grant, we are getting underway with
a pilot program to test the methodology
in two neighborhoods and one thematic
area. The survey will eventually include
161,000 primary buildings, including
many never before surveyed post-war
neighborhoods and structures.
Rounding out the Partners program,
a series of after-hours events known as
One Past 5 (because they begin at 5:01
p.m.) have been held in exclusive venues
that are typically off-limits to the public,
such as the D&F Tower, Phipps Mansion,
Saddlery Building, and Engine House No.
5. These parties have drawn strong attendance and rave reviews. A committee
including Historic Denver staff, board,
and other community members continue
to scout out exciting locations, plan, and
host these fun and very popular events,
including the most recent One Past 5 held
at the Equitable Building.
Alice Gilbertson, Director of
Preservation Advocacy, has primary
responsibility for these programs along
with other part-time Historic Denver staff
member Phil Barlow. Interns and former
staff members helping over the three years
included Erika Warzel, Mike Webber,
Marcy Cameron, Sarah Zarba, Beth
Mikon, Annalise Kehler, Kaley Brown,
Kara Thompson, and Melissa Noland.
While we are at the end of the NTHP
grant, Historic Denver’s board has recognized the importance of the Partners in
the Field program and has incorporated
it into our ongoing preservation advocacy
and education initiatives. We hope to
continue working in partnership with
the alliances we have built in the past
few years, including staff and residents in
Littleton, Arvada, and Denver and with
the University of Colorado’s College of
Architecture and Planning.
To acknowledge the generosity and
support for the Partners in the Field program demonstrated by our donors and the
National Trust for Historic Preservation,
an event in their honor was held at
one of Denver’s most recently designated
landmarks, the Holland House. Historic
Denver staff and interns had worked
over the past year with the property
owner to get this very unique, all-concrete home designed by Eugene Groves,
listed as a local landmark. Despite one
of Denver’s most dramatic summer thunderstorms, event goers were able to venture up to the roof deck to see the
home’s unique domed roof and patio.
We were grateful for the tremendous
financial support received despite the
tough economic times that arrived early
in the life of the grant. And we are appreciative of the support provided by our
partners at the cities of Littleton, Arvada,
and Denver and the enthusiasm exhibited
by the workshop attendees as we all realized that preservation, sustainability, and
strong neighborhoods all share a common
theme – pride of place.
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Historic Denver News
in
remembrance
Historic Denver Barbara Norgren,
was saddened to learn of the death of
Thomas “Tobie” Hazard in September.
Tobie served as a dedicated trustee of
Historic Denver from 2004 to 2010 and
as an officer and member of the executive committee for several of those years.
During his time on the board Tobie was a
partner at Holland & Hart, a firm that has
long supported preservation in Denver.
Tobie volunteered to serve on Historic
Denver’s board in 2004, citing his love for
older homes and neighborhoods, which had
its roots here in Denver as he was born and
raised near Cheesman Park. He lived in an
old home near Kerr Mansion, which he used to sneak into and marvel at. He left Denver
for college and law school and a stint as a reporter for the Congressional Quarterly, but
when he returned to Denver to practice law, he was stunned to find that urban renewal
had cut swaths through Denver.
When he joined the Historic Denver board he said, “My grandmother ran an antique
store in Baltimore. I’ve always had an appreciation for older things, good craftsmanship. I
found some sort of intrinsic value in saving old things.” During his tenure Tobie provided
invaluable pro bono legal support to the organization and was a particular advocate of the
organization’s flagship property, the Molly Brown House Museum. His sense of humor,
keen wit, and willing support for the organization’s many events was deeply appreciated
by all.
Tobie earned both his bachelor’s and law degree from Georgetown University and
made a career in labor and employment law. In Denver he practiced with Dufford &
Brown from 1991 to 2000 before joining Holland & Hart as a partner.
To honor Tobie’s life and service to Historic Denver contributions are being made
to make exterior landscape and hardscape improvements at the Molly Brown House
Museum, where Tobie will be recognized on a plaque in the main courtyard. Gifts to the
Tobie Hazard Memorial Fund can be mailed to Historic Denver, Inc. 1340 Pennsylvania,
Denver, CO 80203 or made on-line at store.historicdenver.org/store/donations.
Thank you to all who have already donated to
the Tobie Hazard Memorial Fund:
Betty Arkell
Rick Bailey
Jeanne Bender
Bradford Berge
Jude Biggs
Nadya Bosch
Dufford & Brown, P.C.
Bar Chadwick
Adam Cohen
Barry Conaty
Kelly Cooper
Minou Cramer
Mark Davidson
Rebecca Dow
Samuel Edwards
Don and Carolyn Etter
Heidi Glance
Marcy Glen
Nimrod Halfton
Joseph Halpern
Letitia Hazard
Victoria C. Hazard
Laura Hundley
Louann Jamieson
Jeffrey T. Johnson
Alison Karas
Katherine Kelley
Denise Kennedy
Annie and Nik Levinsky
Katherine LeVoy
Charles Lucy
Judi Marsh
Stephen Masciocchi
Sean McNally
Carolyn Miller
William Murane
Chris Murata
Elizabeth Nedrow
Susan Oakes
Thomas O’Donnell
Paul Phillips
Kami Pomerantz
Elizabeth Rabel
Alicia Rhoades
Nicole Snyderreinke
Beat Steiner
Nancy Stern
Craig Stewart
Alison Suthers
Thomas Todd
Christopher Toll
Stephen Villano
Mark Wiletsky
Bradford Williams
Maureen Reidy Witt
who passed away at the age of 83 on October 1st,
will be remembered as one of the founding mothers
of Historic Denver, Inc. Historical preservation was
Barbara Norgren’s passion, and she spent most of her
adult life working on it. Barbara’s illustrious career as a
leading Colorado preservationist began in 1968 when as
a Junior League volunteer activist she helped spearhead
the first city wide inventory of historic structures for the
Denver Landmark Preservation Commission
She helped in the preservation efforts of the Molly
Brown House Museum and organized and led some of
the first tours of the house. Barbara served on the board of
Historic Denver from 1971 to 1975 before accepting a staff position, where she focused
on preserving Ninth Street Historic Park. She also served on Colorado’s National Register
Review Committee (1977-1980) and as a longtime member (1979-2005) and chair (198384) of the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission. Barbara also worked for the
Colorado Department of Transportation and served as Colorado’s Keeper of the National
Register (1981 – 1999).
During her life, Barbara wrote or co-wrote many National Record and Denver landmark nominations. She co-authored “Denver: The City Beautiful and Its Architects, 18931941” with Tom Noel. The book, a basic guide to the Mile High City’s architecture with
sketches of many leading architects, was published by Historic Denver in 1987.
Historic Denver, Inc. will miss Barbara’s knowledge, patience and enthusiasm for
preservation. In honor of Barbara a memorial fund is being set up in her name and funds
contributed will go towards the ongoing work of both The Molly Brown House Museum
and Historic Denver, Inc.
Gifts to the Barbara Norgren Memorial Fund can be mailed to Historic Denver,
Inc. 1340 Pennsylvania, Denver, CO 80203 or made on-line at store.historicdenver.org/
store/donations. Please note on your check that it is intended for the Barbara Norgren
Memorial Fund.
Thank you to all who have already donated to
the Barbara Norgren Memorial Fund:
Michelle Anthony
Janet Cline
Carolyn and Don Etter
Alice Gilbertson
Peggy Gunter
Dorothy Hargrove
Gene Koelbel
The Koelbel Family
Annie and Nik Levinsky
Marilyn Lyle
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10
Historic Denver Inc.
Pam Meinke
Chris Murata
Jeri Neff
Loretta and Leigh Norgren
Deborah Parker
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Winter 2012
Thank You
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July - October 2011
The Gonzalez family of Auraria at Lincoln Park-1925 Auraria Casa Mayan Heritage Collection©
(between Curtis and Champa on 9th Street). Architects,
tradesman, volunteers, and students refurbished 14 buildings, which became the Ninth Street Historic Park in July 1976. During the developing
stages meetings were held at the Casa Mayan restaurant and Carolina Gonzalez served
her delectable food and dessert buñuelos.
The Gonzalez family, which still lived at 1020 9th Street, served their last meal
on October 31, 1973, and were the last residents to leave Auraria in 1974. In 1976,
Community College of Denver was the first to occupy the campus and by 1977 the
Auraria campus was completed. Today, the Tivoli Brewery, St. Cajetan’s, St. Elizabeth’s,
and Emmanuel Chapel (Episcopalian church later a Jewish synagogue) remain as historic
landmarks of the once vibrant and diverse Auraria community.
continued on from page 3
Santa Fe Drive District
Santa Fe Drive, the western boundary of the La Alma-Lincoln Park neighborhood,
has been called the “Southern Gateway to Denver.” The area was developed between
1885 and 1890 and became a major corridor of commercial businesses serving a flourishing community. The street was once called Jason Street until the neighborhood petitioned
to change the name to honor its historic relevance; as it was the original road headed
south from Denver along the old trading route to Santa Fe.
During the 1900s west side businesses such as the Southwest Denver Improvement
Association and later the Santa Fe Drive Commercial Association were active in commerce and the development of this major artery. Additional housing was built as the
industrial area grew during the 1880-1920 era. The strip included a bakery, grocery,
creamery, pharmacy, Woolworth, and J. C. Penney for clothing.
Theatres were also popular pastime for the community. The Cameron Theatre
opened its doors in the 1920s showing silent movies and vaudeville performances. It
became the Denver Civic Theatre and was later refurbished and redesigned by incorporating the adjacent building that was once a meat packing company. Today, it houses El
Centro Su Teatro, a multidisciplinary cultural arts center which develops productions that
speak to the history and experience of Chicanos. The nearby Santa Fe Theatre played
silent movies and by the late ‘40s and ‘50s changed its name to the Aztlan Theatre and
became a cultural center for Mexican programs. By 1968, Spanish films like Cantiflas
were enjoyed for a mere 25 cents by residents from Auraria and La Alma-Lincoln Park.
During the late ‘60s and ‘70s the area’s retail businesses and housing started to deteriorate and more industrial businesses moved in. By the late ‘70s a revitalization program
was initiated and in 1973 Veronica Barela spearheaded the NEWSED, a Community
Development Corporation, whose primary focus has been to solve long-term economic
problems in disadvantaged communities and organizing and hosting cultural events and
activities that showcase the neighborhood’s predominately Chicano/Mexicano population. Since the 1990s the Santa Fe district has continued to flourish and is now a thriving
and successful hub of art and culture.
The Latino Community Moving Forward
In some ways the Latino community has come full circle, rebuilding a connection
with the Auraria site that was once its heart. During the late 1970s some members of the
community who had lived in Auraria started the Displaced Aurarians Association. The
Displaced Aurarians Association talked to the president of Metropolitan State College
of Denver and advocated for scholarships for displaced Aurarians and their descendants.
By 1995 Metropolitan State began to award scholarships to the displaced Aurarians and
their descendents. Today, the three Auraria Campus institutions participate in this program in honor of the displaced community. =
Auraria Casa Mayan Heritage makes history relevant by
preserving Colorado’s Auraria legacy through tours, research, educational workshops,
and multi-media events. Auraria Casa Mayan Heritage is a grassroots organization
created to promote Denver’s Auraria history and the legendary Casa Mayan
Restaurant and cultural center, now preserved on the Ninth Street Historic Park. We
aspire to promote history that energizes the general public, the underserved, students,
international communities, organizations, nonprofits, and educational institutions, to
heighten their awareness and inspire.
For more information visit: www.acmh.cfsites.org
Randal and Norma Heinz
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Intermountain Jewish News, Inc.
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Busmire
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KEW Realty
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Marguerite Johnson
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Denver Agency Company
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Contiguglia
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Nelson
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JoVonne and Jerry Fitzgerald
Irene Ludwig & Gerald Forney
Richard and Helen Francis
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Bradley and Angela Gaylord
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Friday Green
Steve and Mary Gumm
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Robert Peterson
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Barbara and William Pontarelli
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Seventh Ave Congregational
Church
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Westberg
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Become a Supporter of
Historic Denver
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Historic Denver Inc.
11
Historic Denver News
Winter 2012
calendar of
EVENTS
March 31
April 15
May 12, 13
Haberdasher’s Delight
Hat Workshop
The Sinking of the
Titanic
Mother’s Day Full Tea
Molly Brown House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania Street
Create your own Titanic-sized millinery
masterpiece with the help of our historic
fashions experts. We’ll provide the hat,
materials, and refreshments, you provide
your creativity. This workshop will feature material to make a spring or summer hat. Make a fall hat on September
15th. A tour of the museum is not
included. Saturday, March 31,
10:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Tickets are $55 / person, visit www.mollybrown.org or call 303.832.4092 x10.
Gates Concert Hall
2344 East Iliff Avenue
A musical event 100 years in the making! Be transformed by the sounds of
that fateful night with The Sinking of
the Titanic, composed by Gavin Bryars,
arranged by Payton MacDonald and
performed by the renowned JACK
Quartet. This amazing concert is the
work of our friends at the Newman
Center for Performing Arts and Friends
of Chamber Music. Individual tickets
are $30 / person for General Admission
and are available by calling 303-8717720 or visiting www.newmancenterpresents.com.
April 3
”UnsinkablE Molly
Brown” Film Screening
April 17
March 11
Denver FilmCenter Colfax
2510 E. Colfax Ave.
The Denver Film Society and the Molly
Brown House Museum welcome you to
a special screening of The Unsinkable
Molly Brown. The Titanic tragedy propelled Mrs. Margaret Brown to international fame during her lifetime, but
the musical created a lasting legacy of
an incorrigible and unsinkable Molly
Brown. After the film, stay for a discussion of myth versus reality and belly
up to the bar for light refreshments.
Tickets are $12 / person, visit www.mollybrown.org or call 303-832-4092 x10
for tickets.
Scottish Rite
Masonic Center
1370 Grant Street
History Colorado welcomes Steven Biel
author of Down with the Old Canoe: A
Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster,
as he explores how Americans have
made sense of the century-old Titanic
disaster of April 1912. Tuesday, April
17, 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Tickets are $8.50 / person, call 303-8664686 for information and reservations.
Captain Smith and Mrs.
Brown Full Tea
April 12
February 11, 12
Shipboard Romance
Valentine High Tea
Molly Brown House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania Street
Fall in love all over again aboard the
“good ship Molly Brown” and enjoy special tea treats perfect for you and your
special valentine! Saturday, February 11,
11:00 am, 1:00 pm. Sunday, February
12, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm. Tickets are $25
per person, visit www.mollybrown.org or
call 303.832.4092 x10.
Molly Brown House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania Street
Be there as “Mrs. Brown” personally
welcomes “Captain Smith” to her home
for tea as they politely discuss their
upcoming voyage together on the luxury
liner Titanic. Sunday, March 11, 1:00
pm, 3:00 pm. Tickets are $25 per person, visit www.mollybrown.org or call
303.832.4092 x10.
March 21
Meet the Women of the
Titanic
Molly Brown House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania Street
Come meet Mrs. Brown and her fellow
female Titanic passengers in the home
of Denver’s own Titanic heroine as our
costumed interpreters each recount a
female passenger’s fateful experience
aboard the ship. Wednesday, March
21, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Tickets are free for
Historic Denver supporter,
Individual Tickets are $8 for children
and seniors, $12 for non-members.
Purchase a Family Four Pass for $35, a
$5 savings! Visit www.mollybrown.org
or call 303.832.4092 x10.
12
Historic Denver Inc.
Molly Brown House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania Street
All Moms are heroines of their own
ships - show your appreciation with
tea at the Unsinkable Molly Brown’s
house and include a little shopping in
the Museum Store. Gift certificates are
available! Saturday, May 12, 11:00 am,
1:00 pm & 3:00 pm. Sunday, May 13,
1:00 pm & 3:00 pm. Tickets are $20/
person, visit www.mollybrown.org or
call 303.832.4092 x10.
Historic Denver
Guides
Steven Biel
Lecture
$5/ea.
The 22 pocket-sized titles of our awardwinning guidebook series will take you
on a historical journey across a century
and a half of Denver’s incredible architectural past. Popular neighborhood
walking tours include: Washington Park,
Capitol Hill and Lower Downtown.
Offered only at www.historicdenver.org.
Meet Molly Brown’s
Descendent
Brown Palace Hotel,
321 17th Street
Meet Margaret “Molly”
Brown’s descendent
Muffet Laurie Brown who will recount
her great-grandmother’s Titanic experience and life after as the Heroine of the
Titanic. Tickets are $12 /person, visit
www.mollybrown.org or call 303-8324092 x10 for tickets.
April 14
A Night to Remember
Titanic Gala
Dinner &
Fundraiser
Oxford Hotel, 1600 17th Street
In honor of the 100th Anniversary,
experience the excitement and opulence of a once-in-a-lifetime, 1st Class
Titanic gala complete with a delicious
six-course meal served by costumed
stewards. Waltz the night away to music
played aboard the Titanic as it steamed
across the Atlantic Ocean and into
history. This event includes supporter
status with Historic Denver, our parent
organization, as well as complimentary
Museum tour tickets.
Individual tickets are $175 / person,
Patron tickets are $225 / person.
Visit www.mollybrown.org or call 303832-4092 x10 for tickets.
Proud Sponsor of
Historic Denver
Holland & Hart is proud
to continue founding
partner Stephen H. Hart’s
commitment to historic
preservation.
-
Mark Davidson
Partner, Board Member
303-295-8572
madavidson@hollandhart.com
555 17th Street
Suite 3200
Denver, CO 80202
www.hollandhart.com
Photo Courtesy of the Colorado Historical Society