Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Johnson & Wales University Denver: Centennial Hall

  • 02/01/16
Johnson & Wales University Denver: Centennial Hall

PHOTOS on RIGHT © JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY and PHOTOS © BRAD NICOL

After more than 30 years of being shuttered and $17 million in renovations, Centennial Hall is the new heart and hub of Johnson & Wales University’s (JWU) Denver, CO, campus.

Originally named Treat Hall, the structure was built in 1886 for the Colorado Women’s College and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1982, the University of Denver acquired Colorado Women’s College due to declining enrollment, and the building sat empty for more than three decades.

In 2000, JWU purchased the campus as its most western regional anchor with the goal of one day renovating the building back to its original prominence. By 2015, the university officially “broke ground,” renaming the building Centennial Hall in honor of the university’s centennial year and to pay homage to Colorado as the “Centennial State.”

“You can’t help but be inspired by this building, not only for its beautiful features, but also for what Centennial Hall stands for,” says JWU Denver’s vice president and dean of academic affairs, Richard Wiscott, Ph.D. “It was critical to ensure the design capitalized on bringing our campus community together by creating a variety of multipurpose spaces adjacent and connected throughout the entire building.”

With 56,600 square feet of space, Centennial Hall features classrooms, administrative and faculty offices, a health and wellness clinic, student activity spaces, a grab-and-go café and a great hall for campus events.

Many of the original finishes of the 130-year-old building, including the grand staircase, have been preserved and/or repurposed to allow the building’s grandeur to shine and flourish. In 2015, Historic Denver, one of the nation’s premier urban historic preservation organizations, recognized the Centennial Hall project with a Community Preservation Award.

Centennial Hall reopened in the fall of 2015.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Johns Hopkins Starts Construction on New Residence Hall, Dining Facility

    The Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., recently began construction on a new residence hall and dining facility, according to university news. The work involves demolishing the existing Alumni Memorial Residence Hall I, which was built in 1923, to make room for the new facility.