Denver, Colorado, USA
Tryba Architects has led the restoration process of the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, located in Denver’s historic Park Hill neighborhood that has been a prominent landmark and community cornerstone for over 120 years.
Recognized for its excellence in design and preservation, the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church has recently been awarded a 2024 American Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The first phase of this vision was brought to life in a stunning renovation that renewed and revitalized the aging structure.
A new second-floor space, enclosed by a glazed façade known as the “Lantern,” brings new light and life to the Dahlia Street entry.
The Westminster Commons has been reinvented as a double-height space, revealing views of the adjacent main sanctuary and establishing a new light-filled second-level connection to the choir loft.
The Miller Center has been converted into a flexible, dynamic space for a variety of events, with lighting upgrades and careful restoration of historic wood paneling and windows.
The space was completely reimagined to become a venue for a broad range of events, from small scale worship services to musical and theatrical performances and educational programs.
Acoustic treatments allows the space to be adjusted into a variety of configurations, while electronically controlled blackout blinds provide the opportunity to rediscover the dramatic natural light that was a fundamental part of the experience of the original sanctuary.
Reconfiguration of the stage location enables a backstage connection to be made at the rear of the stage, radically improving the functionality of the space and removing the need for the gallery to be used as a back of house circulation space during performances.
Library storage shelves and heritage displays are organized into a long linear wall element fronting the Miller Center, defining the character of this historic space. Comfortable furniture groupings are established in clusters aligned with the original stained glass windows.
An updated, enclosed entry provides direct connections to the reconfigured landscape and courtyard to the north, reorganized to provide a well-defined outdoor “garden room.”
Reconfiguration of the central vertical circulation within the campus brings additional light into the space between the wings of the building.
Refurbished windows and stucco of the Education Wing, new stone paving and greater accessibility improve the quality of the narrow lane-like space.
Project: Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church
Architects: Tryba Architects
Lead Architect: John McIntyre
Original Architect: Frank W. Frewan (1910)
General Contractor: Colarelli Construction, Inc.
Client: Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church
Photographers: Jess Blackwell