First Unitarian building receives historic designation

The First Unitarian Society of Denver building at 1400 Lafayette St. received local historic landmark designation for its importance in the history of the LGBT rights movement.

The site, whose architecture and geography also meet the city's designation criteria, is the first in Colorado to be recognized at the local, state or national level for its importance in the LGBT rights movement.

"Preserving sites like this helps us tell our city's story -- the whole story," says Brad Buchanan, executive director of Denver Community Planning and Development. "While Denver's landmarks include buildings originally built by and for those with wealth and social status, they also include equally important places linked to people who may have been left out of the history textbooks."

The First Unitarian congregation has a long history of social justice work, including involvement in   women's rights and suffrage, civil rights and immigration justice. Over the years, it has welcomed social justice organizations that could find no other public venue for the meetings or presentations.

The congregation's involvement in the LGBT rights movement began as early as the 1950s. At a time when few were willing to open their doors to the gay community, First Unitarian offered support to the Mattachine Society, one of the first gay rights groups in the United States, by providing space to organize in. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Unitarian building was a de facto headquarters of the Gay Coalition of Denver, which is known today as The Center, an LGBT nonprofit located a block from First Unitarian on Colfax Avenue.

The building itself has been occupied by the First Unitarian Society of Denver since 1958. The Richardsonian Romanesque-style building, built in the 1890s, has retained its architectural integrity over the years. It has wide rounded arches, recessed entryways, a dramatic rose window and rough surface stone quarried in Castle Rock. 

Contact Confluence Denver Development News Editor Margaret Jackson with tips and leads for future stories at margaret@confluence-denver.com.