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By Melanie Asmar/Chalkbeat
When Denver Public Schools bought part of a former college campus in 2021, it included a chapel. Now the district is considering leasing the deteriorating building to a local church that would spend millions to renovate it in exchange for free rent.
Under the proposed deal, Denver Presbyterian Church would spend an estimated $4.3 million to renovate Whatley Chapel, one of four buildings DPS bought on the former Johnson & Wales University campus to expand the popular Denver School of the Arts middle and high school.
The school district would still own the chapel and the land underneath it. Although DSA school leaders originally envisioned leveling the altar and using the space for performances, district officials said this week that of the four buildings DPS bought, the chapel is “least suited” for use as a school building because of its religious iconography.
“This building is a chapel, and it can be nothing other than a chapel,” Andrew Huber, the district’s executive director of enrollment and campus planning, said at a meeting of the school board’s finance and audit committee this week.
Huber estimated that the $4.3 million in upfront renovation costs would equate to at least 20 years’ worth of market-rate rent for Denver Presbyterian Church. The proposed lease agreement would be for 10 years, with the option to renew for another 10 years.
“I think this is a really good deal for the district and for the church,” Huber said.
The building is currently “sitting there,” unable to be used for much, Huber said. Once the chapel is renovated, DPS could occasionally use the space for events, he said. An outdoor amphitheater next to the chapel has wooden benches that can seat 1,200.
“It’s appealing and attractive to use for kids in some limited circumstances,” Huber said. “This represents our best shot at activating this space on behalf of the community and for DSA students.”
The Denver school board is expected to vote on the deal later this month, a district spokesperson said.
Ronnie Garcia, senior pastor of Denver Presbyterian Church, said the congregation had been eyeing Whatley Chapel when it was for sale back in 2021. The building is beautiful but needs a lot of work, he said, including asbestos abatement, a new roof, and upgrades to its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. He’s hopeful this deal can bring the chapel back to life, both for his midsized congregation and the school district.
“We have lots of DPS kids in our congregation, so we’ve had a really warm relationship with DPS,” said Garcia, a father of former and current DPS students.
Whatley Chapel opened in 1962 as part of Colorado Women’s College. The chapel has 39 stained glass windows and a carrillion — a set of tuned bells played with a keyboard — that was the only carrillion in Colorado when it was built in 1961, according to a district presentation.
Colorado Women’s College merged with the University of Denver in the 1980s. In 2000, the campus was bought by Providence, Rhode Island-based Johnson & Wales University, which operated a Denver location until declining enrollment led to its closure in 2021. DPS bought four buildings on the campus, including Whatley Chapel, for $30 million that same year.
The idea was to separate the Denver School of the Arts middle and high schools by moving the high schoolers into renovated buildings on the former Johnson & Wales campus. The separation would allow DSA to increase its enrollment with an eye toward diversifying its student body.
DSA is the only Denver public school that requires an audition to get in, and the student body is whiter and wealthier than the district as a whole.
Of the four buildings DPS bought, one has already undergone $22.5 million in renovations to bring it up to safety standards for K-12 schools, a district spokesperson said. DSA students began using the building, now known as DSA South, this past school year.
Another building on the campus is being used in a limited capacity by students at DPS’ Emily Griffith Technical College, according to a district presentation.
The other two buildings, including Whatley Chapel, are not being used.
Denver Presbyterian Church currently rents another DPS facility, McAuliffe International School, for its Sunday services through the district’s community use process.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at [email protected].
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
