How does a Gothic Revival cathedral, designed by an East Coast architect, find its place in the heart of Denver? That’s the story of Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church. This church stands at 2015 Glenarm Place. It marks the border of Denver’s modern central commercial district.
Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church began as Trinity Memorial Chapel. St. John’s Church Sunday School organized it as a mission school. It was near 26th and Curtis streets. Bishop John Franklin Spalding laid the cornerstone on March 18, 1874. This made it the second Episcopal church building in Denver. The bishop named Rev. Walter H. Moore as its first rector.
Fast forward to the early 20th century. Alexis Dupont Parker, a magnate of the Colorado and Southern Railway, commissioned a new building. This was a memorial to his wife. Parker, educated in the Episcopal ministry and president of the Colorado diocese board, chose Ralph Adams Cram to design it.
Cram, of Cram and Ferguson in Boston, was a distinguished architect. The church was dedicated on January 17, 1909, as Trinity Memorial Church. In 1917, it was renamed Saint Andrew’s. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Saint Andrew’s is small. It measures about 40 by 70 feet. The church has an L-shape. It is built of red Harvard brick. Limestone serves as lintels and decorative banding. A slate roof tops it off. The front faces Glenarm. Double wooden doors mark the entrance. These doors sit in an ornate wood-trimmed opening. A square tower east of the entrance features a large arched gothic window. The opposite façade has a smaller rose window. Wooden Gothic tracery ornaments the windows and porches. A clergy house, added in 1928, matches the main building’s style.
Inside Saint Andrew’s, pointed Gothic arches made of brick dominate. Beamed ceilings and diamond patterned amber leaded glass windows add to the ambiance. Paintings and sculptures decorate the interior. A Sienese Madonna watches at the door. Opposite, stands an 18th-century Portuguese Sorrowful Mother. Spanish Monastic stalls, carved by Franciscans a century ago, add to the church’s rich history. A santo hangs on the wall. An Edwardian rerardos by Denver artist Albert Byran Olsen adorns the high altar. A Romanesque baptismal font stands by the front entrance.
Saint Andrew’s bell is one of the largest and most beautifully toned in downtown Denver. For years, it marked the passing hours from its timber frame tower.
In 1986, major repairs took place. Saint Andrew’s got a new composite roof, new plaster and paint. An oak floor was laid over old asbestos tiles. Tim Hinz, a local woodworking artist, made a free-standing altar. The men of St. John’s removed asphalt and planted trees. The church was rededicated on the Feast of St. Andrew’s, 1988.
On All Soul’s Day 1999, fire caused significant smoke damage to the nave and sanctuary. It also destroyed the church organ. The congregation worshipped at the nearby Temple Events Center. Saint Andrew’s underwent repairs. It received a new instrument: a Buzard pipe organ.
In 2008, St. Andrew’s expanded. The design kept with Cram’s original plans for a larger church. Today, it seats 175 in the sanctuary. Denver artists Marion Buchan and Albert Byron Olson created works there. Denver architect Jacques Benedict designed the parish house.
Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church continues to evolve. It preserves its historic charm. The church provides multi-use space. It ensures accessibility. It remains a vital part of Denver. It serves as a testament to faith, art, and community.