Plans are now underway for the transformation of dorm space into new affordable housing at a former prominent private university site in Denver.
Johnson & Wales University, with a primary campus located in Providence, Rhode Island, was a school presence in Denver for just over two decades, from 2000 to 2021.
The school, in 2020, said it was closing its Denver campus due to an inability to grow its enrollment.
What would happen to the 25-acre campus, which has 13 buildings, quickly became a local concern, with city officials noting that some of the structures there dated to the early 20th century when the property was home to the Colorado Women’s College.
Now a cooperative agreement between the Denver Housing Authority and the company Archway Communities, which is based in Lakewood, will see the redevelopment of dorm space on the campus in the 1700 block of Pontiac Street leading to the creation of 58 affordable housing units.
The efforts mark the second phase of a project that earlier saw the building of 154 units geared for affordable tenants on the campus.
As currently planned, the second phase will include 32 one-bedroom units, and 18 two-bedroom units, along with another 8 three-bedroom units.
The main campus was purchased for around $62 million by the Denver non-profit Urban Land Conservancy, while the Denver Housing Authority stepped in to purchase the Pontiac Street dorms for just under $11 million.
According to the Denver Business Journal, roughly 25% of the families residing in the area surrounding the Pontiac Street properties are classified as living below the federal poverty line.
October 2, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of History Denver
