The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: Day 005

Sunday, February 7, 2021

Recipient: 
Mike R., Platt Park, Denver

This is the view from my writing desk.

Do you see a red brick building with a tower off in the distance? Above and to the left of my neighbor’s skylight? I have often looked out the window and wondered what it could be. On this day my wondering coincided with Mike being in the room.

I pointed. “Do you know what that building is?”
“No, I don’t.” He paused. “Wanna find out?”
Definitely, YES.

Fifteen minutes later Henry (my trusty first-gen Scion xB) was zig-zagging through Denver with me at the wheel and Mike calling out directions to best the red line he had plotted on Google Maps in the general direction of our the tower, which we reached quite easily.

I ignored the “No Trespassing” signs and parked in a nearly empty lot so we could take some pictures.

Then we ducked back into the car to get out of the wind and search the internet for more information.

Evidently, we were standing on the former campus of Loretto Heights College. The 1890 structure I could see from my window started out as the college’s administration building. (Fun fact: The guy who designed it – Frank Edbrooke – was the same guy who designed The Brown Palace and a bunch of other landmark buildings in Denver.) It has been empty since 2017 when its most recent tenant, Colorado Heights University, shut its doors. It was purchased by a development company in 2018 who says it intends to reuse the existing structures. I certainly hope so.

We capped off our afternoon with a visit to Panera for some mac and cheese and one of the best views of the mountains.

My original intention was to only give out BRIGHT SPOT Awards to strangers. That was the point, right? Talk to people in passing, share my gratitude, spread a little love. Using a candidate pool populated with family, friends and acquaintances would feel like cheating because it would be too easy; those folks make me smile all the time.

 

But c’mon. This was too good. My sweetheart won the day fair and square because instead of shrugging his shoulders and letting the spark of curiosity fade from his mind, he was game for following the trail wherever it led.

Thought:

Be like Bilbo: If such an opportunity presents itself, get out of your chair, walk out the door of your Hobbit hole, and go on an adventure.

 

Additional reading on Loretto Heights:

Regis Magazine: A Last Look at Loretto Heights College

Historic Denver: Loretto Heights - What's Next?

Denver Post: Denver wants southwest residents to weigh in on Loretto Heights’ future as redevelopment looms

Denverite: What’s new at Loretto Heights? Potentially a crucial vote on when to start the project.