Historic Montview

The Need

There is a significant opportunity to restore and improve the interior spaces of the two most historic sanctuaries within the campus.

With careful reorganization, the Library and Heritage Center can maintain its important role as a historic and cultural heart for the campus and also provide a new active and vibrant social gathering space on Montview Boulevard.

With focused restoration, improvement and programming, the Miller Center can provide a new multi-purpose worship and performance space for the congregation and community.

Preserving a Rich History

Montview was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. In late 2020, with help from local non-profit Historic Denver, Inc., the Colorado State Historical Fund awarded Montview a $100,000 grant to support the restoration of the Miller Center, specifically funding restoration of the original windows, including those on the corner tower, and the decorative and flat plaster work on the interior. The Miller Center rehabilitation, including the Heritage Center/Library space, represents the oldest portion of the church campus. The original Romanesque Revival style sanctuary faced Montview Boulevard and is now the Heritage Center. This first section was constructed in 1910 and eight years later the two-story Romanesque sanctuary with the Norman style tower were added on the corner, today used as the Miller Center. Today’s sanctuary was not constructed until 1958, after which point the older section of the church has been used for a variety of congregational and community purposes, such as theater, performance and meeting space.

Miller Center

Careful restoration of historic wood paneling and windows, upgraded carpet and paint, refinishing of the pews, and lighting upgrades will elevate the interior experiences of this historic sanctuary space. The intent is that the Miller Center will be re-imagined to provide a space for smaller worship services, weddings, and funerals, and that it maintains its role as a home for theater and musical performances.

Refurbish the Miller Center to create a celebrated mid-scale sacred space that can also be used for theater, musical performance and lectures.
Uncover and restore existing stained-glass windows and provide new protection. Provide blinds for daylight control to allow for a variety of lighting conditions within the space.
General refurbishment of the pews, wall surfaces and systems to provide and enhance the simplicity and elegance of the space.
Install new sound, lighting and acoustic systems to enable more flexible use of the space for performances and events.
Tower windows refurbished and storage removed. Lighting of the upper floors to provide an illuminated lantern on Montview and space for small meetings.
Rediscovery of the porch and historic entryway as a new events entry and pre-function space for the Miller Center.
Reconstruction and relocation of the rotating stage to provide a back of house connection to the Robinson Room and wings.

Library and Heritage Center

The Library and Heritage Center is conceived of as a new social gathering space for the campus. Library materials are located in accessible, open stacks and heritage displays are dispersed throughout the gathering space and retain their important role in defining the character of this historic space. Comfortable furniture groupings are established in clusters aligned with the original stained glass windows.

The entry from Montview Boulevard is upgraded to provide direct connections to the reconfigured landscape and courtyard to the north. A micro-kitchen counter is added to the space to provide coffee and tea-making opportunities. The room becomes a comfortable space for social groups to meet or for parents to get together after school drop-off. The Robinson Room is restored as a small group meeting room and children’s library and functions as the green room for theater and musical performances in the Miller Center.

A variety of furniture groupings provides opportunity for social gathering, small meetings and conversation.
Reorganize library books along the north and west walls of the new gathering space, accenting and restoring the functionality of the historic sliding doors to the Miller Center.
Heritage displays, including updated digital presentations, will be incorporated within freestanding cases and wall elements.
Provide a new micro-kitchen to foster social gathering and interaction.
Uncover and restore existing stained-glass windows and provide new exterior protection.
The Robinson Room will be reconfigured as both a small meeting room and a children’s library.
Additional small conference table for meeting opportunities, accenting the communal spirit of the space.

Montview Boulevard and Landscape

The landscape off Montview Boulevard is reorganized to provide a well-defined outdoor ‘garden room’. Extending the existing hedge provides definition for the space. A line of new ornamental trees provides a colorful seasonal edge to the street. Two gated entries provide the opportunity to manage access to the space. This new courtyard provides a place of respite and rest for people passing on Montview Boulevard and can function as a new entry space for events within the restored Miller Center. Moving the entry to the courtyard off the central axis of the Miller Center windows reduces confusion around the role of this entry to the campus, and by connecting directly to the preschool playground, provides a unified and shared address for the campus from this important street.

Create an outdoor garden room for quiet reflection and a space for gathering before and after concerts in the Miller Center.
Clarify the main church entrance through offsetting gateway.
Upgrade the landscape on Montview Boulevard with flowering trees.
Backlight stained glass windows and uplight the tower to enhance beauty at night for the community.
Install a new sign repositioned on the corner of Montview & Dahlia.
Remove storage and refurbish tower rooms to provide small meeting spaces.
New enclosing hedge and metal railed fence extends pattern of enclosure along Montview.