CURRENT ISSUES

Cathedral High School’s Uncertain Future

Once hailed as a hopeful model for adaptive reuse, the Cathedral High School campus in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood now sits boarded, broken, and neglected. Built in 1921 and designed by architect Harry J. Manning, the Spanish Renaissance Revival complex—home to a Catholic high school, convent, and later a crisis shelter and community hub—has served generations. But in recent years, that legacy has faded behind chain-link fencing, shattered windows, and graffiti-covered stucco.

After years of stalled rehabilitation efforts and ownership changes, the property at 1840 Grant Street has landed on the City of Denver’s Neglected and Derelict Buildings (NADB) list—one of 285 such properties as of April 2025, and among at least 40 historic landmarks now considered public nuisances. A Show Cause Hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 24 at 9 AM, with the city demanding answers for continued inaction.

A Storied History

Originally built as Cathedral High School, the property played a major role in Denver’s Catholic education system and later became a compassionate haven known as Seton House, serving those affected by the AIDS crisis, youth in need, and local artists. Its architecture—including a four-story bell tower and a cloistered courtyard—is as rare as its multi-layered social history.

In 2011, a proposed demolition triggered a swift response from Historic Denver, Capitol Hill United Neighbors (CHUN), and Colorado Preservation, Inc. (CPI). Their advocacy helped save the site and paved the way for a preservation-minded sale. GFI Capital Resources Group acquired the property in 2017 and announced rehabilitation plans in 2021, but visible progress never followed.

From Promise to Dereliction

Despite early investment, the buildings remain shuttered, vacant, and in visible decline. The City officially designated 1840 Grant Street a neglected and derelict property in June 2025. Like many buildings on the NADB list, it has become a magnet for complaints, 311 and 911 calls, and neighborhood blight.

According to city officials, these properties reduce the availability of housing and commercial space, place strain on emergency services, and erode quality of life. Cathedral High exemplifies these challenges—and the gaps in accountability when landmarked buildings are left to languish.

Reforming the City’s Response to Neglect

Recognizing the scale and impact of the problem, the Denver City Council approved major updates to the NADB ordinance in July 2025, aiming to strengthen the city’s enforcement tools:

• Clearer definitions of neglect and dereliction, including conditions of vacancy, code violations, and visible deterioration.

• Increased fines—up to $5,000—for noncompliance.

• Authority to order abatements, security measures, or appoint receivers to assume control of troubled properties.

• Oversight for landmarks, requiring any city action on historic sites to be reviewed by the Landmark Preservation Commission.

The new law takes effect in February 2026, but community frustration is mounting now. As Councilmember Amanda Sawyer noted, the changes are meant to “make a demonstrable difference” and ensure neighbors can “see and feel the impact.”

Why it Matters

Cathedral High is more than just another building on a problem list. It represents decades of community service and architectural beauty, and its decay serves as a cautionary tale about preservation promises unfulfilled. The site’s story underscores:

• The fragility of preservation victories when enforcement mechanisms are weak.

• The public’s declining trust in good-faith development agreements.

• The urgent need for policy tools that prevent deterioration before it’s too late.

If rehabilitation projects can stall indefinitely—even after landmark designation and public investment incentives—Denver must ask: What protections remain? And for how long?

In The Press

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Historic Denver has protected places like Cathedral High School for more than 50 years—help us ensure it remains a place of dignity, openness, and civic meaning for the next generation. Your membership supports Historic Denver’s daily work to advocate for the places that shape our identity.

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Updated July 2025