Plans have now been submitted in Denver for the renovation of a historic theater space within the larger historic Loretto Heights Academy campus.
The project will see the upgrading of the May Bonfils Stanton Theater, with the exterior of the structure repaired, updated bathrooms and reception area, and around 425 square feet of space added to the orchestra pit.
Sitting on a 74-acre campus, the Loretto Heights Academy is visually distinctive due to the main building, a six-story Romanesque structure that served as the one-time Catholic girl school’s administrative office.
The school opened in 1891, with the main structure, composed of heavy red sandstone and graced by an entry tower of some 160 feet, put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The Tokyo-based Teikyo University Group purchased the school and property in 1989, transforming it into the Colorado Heights University, before closing it some 7 years ago due to a declining enrollment.
Now owned by the City of Denver, the campus, with around 20 structures, has been regarded by city leaders and developers as prime for restoration as a cultural hub that would see the updating of both the theater and the school’s former library space.
The company Pfeiffer, which is housed under the New York-based architectural firm Perkins Eastman, has signed on to design and develop the cultural hub idea.
Around $30 million is available for the project via a $260 general obligation bond project approved in 2021, while published reports indicate that another $30 million will be spent by the city agency Denver Arts & Venue.
July 10, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo of Loretto Heights, Historic Denver
