Central Presbyterian Church (Denver, Colorado)

Central Presbyterian Church is a historic church located in downtown Denver, Colorado. Its building was built in 1891–92 and designed by Frank E. Edbrooke in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1]

Central Presbyterian Church
Central Presbyterian Church (Denver, Colorado) is located in Colorado
Central Presbyterian Church (Denver, Colorado)
Central Presbyterian Church (Denver, Colorado) is located in the United States
Central Presbyterian Church (Denver, Colorado)
Location1660 Sherman St.,
Denver, Colorado
Coordinates39°44′35″N 104°59′02″W / 39.74306°N 104.98389°W / 39.74306; -104.98389
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1891–92
ArchitectF.E. Edbrooke
Architectural styleRichardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.74000565[1]
CSRHP No.5DV.112
Added to NRHPNovember 21, 1974

The church was an offshoot of the First Presbyterian Church of Denver, which was organized in 1860 when the Reverend A.T. Rankin moved to Denver and placed an ad in the Rocky Mountain News announcing religious services for Presbyterians on the banks of Cherry Creek.[2] The Central Presbyterian Church congregation received its name in 1874.[3]

Its building was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1969.

The building has been considered one of the three best buildings designed by Edbrooke, and was designed late in his career.[3]

It is described: "'The church is enormous, it is a nearly perfect square and is basically a four-tower type with crossing gables of equal height and length. The feeling of massiveness is derived from its great size and large windows and from the use of Colorado sandstone laid in horizontal bands like Richardson's later work. In the words of art historian Richard Brettell, the church is spare, simple and coloristically unified. The walls are sheer and relatively unadorned, rising with a thin and expansive grace. The thin stretched quality is almost exaggerated in the tower where there are long, thin lantern openings topped by ogee arches."[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Building & History". Central Presbyterian Church Denver. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Rebecca Pritchard (August 13, 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Central Presbyterian Church". National Park Service. Retrieved June 17, 2018. With accompanying pictures
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