CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL

1921
Denver, Colorado
Preliminary National Register Nomination

Noted Denver architect Harry J. Manning designed the Cathedral High School Building in 1921, incorporating an existing rectory on the site.  Like many architects of this period Manning designed in a wide variety of historical revival styles, including Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor revival, Collegiate Gothic and Neo-classical Revival.  

. The building features a large center courtyard connecting the former Cathedral High School on the north to the former rectory on the south. The courtyard is enclosed by an arched cloister to the east and a decorative stucco and wrought iron wall to the west. Original wood windows and terra cotta elements as well as a four story bell tower characterize the finely detailed exterior aspects of the building. Both the interior and exterior of the building possess a high level of architectural integrity; however an addition to the school portion of the building was constructed by the early 1950s. The addition was designed to match the Spanish Renaissance Revival style of the original construction.

Cathedral High School was one of Denver’s preeminent Catholic schools. Because Cathedral High School was owned by the Denver’s Catholic Archdiocese it drew its students from a variety of neighborhoods across Denver. During the first fifty years of the school’s history it was said to be one of the “outstanding denominational educational institutions in the city and has been the model for many others.”