Trinity United Methodist Church - Denver, CO - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Trinity United Methodist Church is one of the finest examples of "Modern Gothic" architecture in the United States. According to definitions of design, "the church is an auditorium clothed in a Gothic shell." What made the building "modern" in 1888 was the marriage of Gothic detailing and a Rococo theater with the latest technology.

The building was designed by Robert Roeschlaub, Colorado's first licensed architect. The entire structure, including the steeple, is built of rhyolite quarried locally from Castle Rock, CO, and features a stain-glass window by the Tiffany Company.

The opportunity to build Trinity’s spire was "the magnificent goal of Robert Roeschlaub’s career as a church designer." The spire stands 183’ 7 1Ï2" from the ground. Because of the height, the usual scaffoldings and cranes couldn’t be used during construction. Roeschlaub invented a cage-like mechanism that surrounded the spire, allowing workers and needed materials to be raised and lowered. In 1888, it was one of the tallest stone towers in the United States.

Fundamental in Christian theology, the three entities of the "Holy Trinity" (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) can be found throughout the building’s design: the three arches over the Broadway entrance, the three intertwined circles on the ends of each pew, interior doors, communion rail, in much of the woodwork throughout the sanctuary, the three sections of the spire, and in the wooden arches above each side of the balcony. Within the proscenium arch, above the organ’s pipes, you’ll count 66 lights; each represents a book of the Bible.

In keeping with the traditions of Gothic cathedral design, the architecture directs a viewer’s line of sight skyward, "toward Heaven." The church spire is a prime example, your eyes are led up the stonework, eventually past the highest point, the copper cross. The sanctuary, as well, is built on the second floor, symbolic of the belief that one should walk upward to worship God.

Trinity United Methodist Church is considered Robert S. Roeschlaub's crowning achievement of his extensive career. Not only did Roeschlaub design Trinity, but numerous other historic buildings across the state: the Central City Opera House (1879), Pueblo’s Central High School (1881); the University of Denver’s Chamberlin Observatory (1888), University Hall (1890) and Carnegie Library (1906).

Street address: 1820 Broadway Denver, CO USA 80202 County / Borough / Parish: Denver Year listed: 1970 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1875-1899 Historic function: Religion, Religious Structure Current function: Religion, Religious Structure Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/27/2012 Vante & Sammy Pants visited it 06/04/2012 WayBetterFinder visited it 12/26/2010 WalkingDuo visited it 12/11/2009 Outspoken1 visited it

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