History of Colorado's Historic Grant Avenue Church

On November 7, 1890, Rev. Oscar Louis Fisher and a group of faithful friends embarked on establishing a Methodist Church in the sparsely settled area known as South Denver.  Originally, the congregation held services in a tent located on South Sherman and Maple Street. On January 12, 1908, after 18 years of growth and planning, opening services were held at the newly constructed Grant Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, located at 216 South Grant. This historic 30,000-square-foot facility includes a beautiful Sanctuary with the capacity to seat 350 people. A Community Center building consisting of three stories and a basement adjoins the sanctuary.

The Community Center section of the church was built to allow for a wide variety of community programs.  Since its dedication "to the surrounding community: our neighbors" in 1920, the Center has hosted many cultural events, athletic competitions, educational programs, inter-denominational projects, and health-related events. The Center has served as a gathering place for meetings, theatrical and musical performances, elections of public officials, and as a safe place for support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and HIV support. Over the years, the facility has acquired three adjacent lots, creating 47 off-street parking spaces. In 2002, the Community Center was added to the West Washington Park Tour.

The United Methodist congregation, which reached a high of 1200 members in the 1920's, dwindled to an aging congregation of 123 members in 1999.  Contributions paid for minimal upkeep of the facility, with the majority of the income continuing to support community programs and outreach. The facility, already suffering from years of deferred maintenance, faced further neglect from lack of available funding.  Rising restoration costs prohibited repairs, and the building fell into a state of severe disrepair.  In 1999, developers began bidding to try to purchase the facility to create lofts.  At one point, $1 million was offered for the building.  However, with a funding commitment of $50,000 from the Piton Foundation, the United Methodist Church helped to establish a nonprofit entity, called the Grant Avenue Community Center & Sacred Place, Inc., and donated the building, for the continued benefit of the community. This 501c3 organization was created on May 21, 2000.

Shortly thereafter, an architect was retained to do a structural assessment, and a business plan was developed and initiated. On August 3, 2001, Grant Avenue Community Center was designated a Colorado Historic Landmark by the Colorado Historical Society and was named one of Colorado's Most Endangered Places by Colorado Preservation, Inc.  With help from Historic Denver's Faith Action Program, Grant Avenue applied for and received a grant for $137,000 from the Colorado Historical Society, State Historic Fund.  Additionally, grants for matching funds were received from the Boettcher Foundation and the Gates Family Foundation.  Utilizing these funds, the Community Center completed a $311,000 restoration project, which has improved the overall appearance and functionality of the building.