Aspen Community Church
Encyclopedia
Aspen Community Church is located at the intersection of East Bleeker and North Aspen streets in Aspen
, Colorado, United States. It is a stone building erected in the late 19th century. In 1975 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, the only house of worship in Aspen to be accorded that distinction.
When built, it was originally the home of a Presbyterian congregation
. Several decades later, when Aspen's population had declined considerably from the era when the church was built, the church merged into a Methodist congregation in the city, part of an agreement by which a Methodist church elsewhere in Colorado became Presbyterian. The church building, restored
in the early 21st century, is largely intact from its original construction.
During the work, the largest organ
on the Western Slope
was installed. The church, often compared to a fortress or castle in appearance, has been a popular local music venue and is used annually by the Aspen Music Festival
for recital
s. It hosts two children's music camps of its own every summer, among a range of programs that include yoga and a mission to Kenya
.
). It is just outside downtown Aspen. The surrounding buildings are primarily residential; although there is a large commercial plaza a block
to the north along East Hallam Street. The level terrain of the city's commercial core begins to slope gently toward the Roaring Fork River
.
The building itself is a three-story structure faced in rough-cut peachblow sandstone
topped with a hipped roof
. Gable
d sections cross in the middle of the side elevations, with supporting buttress
es. A large cylindrical bell tower
is located at the southwest corner.
On the opposite corner of the south (front) facade
, the bell tower is complemented by a slightly projecting gabled section. Its first story has three small square windows. Above it is a large round stained glass
window, topped by two narrow windows in the gable field. In the middle, the central section has the main entrance, where a short set of steps rises to recessed glass-windowed wooden double door in a segmental-arch surround. In its transom
is a floral pattern carved into a single sandstone block. Its springline is parallel to the first-story windows on the eastern section.
The bell tower has three stages. Just to its north is a secondary entrance, sheltered by a dark wooden shed roof on posts, pierced by a gable. The first stage of the tower rises to the roofline, with three narrow windows on the west side and two on the south. At the roofline its facing changes to stained
wooden shingles. This middle section is fenestrated with narrow lancet arch louver
ed vents at 45-degree intervals. The top is the slightly overhanging bell-shaped roof with finial
.
Inside, the sanctuary has oaken pews and detailed stained glass windows. The walls are done in red except for the large white cornerstone
. Inside it is a vault with some artifacts from the church's construction—a Bible, the Presbyterian newspaper, some Aspen newspapers and a list of all the church officers and the workers involved in the construction project.
in the preceding decade, from a rough campsite to a bustling city of thousands due to the Colorado Silver Boom
. The Richardsonian Romanesque
church by Frederick Albert Hale, designer of the First Congregational Church
in Pueblo
and the Aspen and Cowenhoven blocks downtown, used the same distinctive orange peachblow sandstone
, quarried in the nearby valley of the Fryingpan
, a tributary
of the Roaring Fork, as other Aspen landmarks like the Wheeler Opera House
and Brand Building
. A thousand people attended the church's dedication ceremony in 1891, the conclusion of ten months of building that cost $20,000 ($ in contemporary dollars). There the cornerstone vault was filled. The Aspen Daily Times was the first to liken the building to a fortress or castle.
Two years after the church's completion, Aspen's fortunes changed for the worse. At the onset of the Panic of 1893
, Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act
, the underpinning of the city's growth and prosperity. Over the next decades, the population began to decline as the local economy shifted to ranching and what little silver mining the market could still sustain, a period in the city's history known as the "quiet years". The church continued to hold services, but by 1934, with Aspen's population down to a few hundred, the congregation was too small to continue.
A solution came in an agreement with the local Methodist church, which was also feeling pressured. In Loma
, on Colorado's western border, a similar situation had developed with a Presbyterian and Methodist church contemplating a merger. The four churches agreed to merge into two and swap denomination
s. The Aspen church became Methodist and the previously Methodist Loma church became Presbyterian.
In the following decades, Aspen was slowly reborn as a popular and pioneering ski resort
and second-home community for the wealthy and famous. The combined church grew with it. In the 1980s, the building was extensively restored
inside and out in anticipation of its centennial. Most of its finishes had never been modernized, so they regained their original appearance afterwards. The basement was gutted to make it even more usable for community events, and the side entrance was added.
It was completed in time for the 1990 observances. A later renovation added the largest organ on Colorado's Western Slope
to the sanctuary. In 2009, structural engineer
s and other experts hired by the church told it the building's structural system
was handling 12 times the load
it was designed for. The church met in the Aspen Historical Society's property at the former Wheeler–Stallard House
for six weeks while tie rod
s were installed in the ceiling.
or Narcotics Anonymous
meets in the church almost daily. Yoga classes are held monthly. Small groups devoted to particular topics, both religious and nonreligious, meet in congregants' homes weekly. The church is also available for weddings, including receptions, and other special events and community groups.
Music is also a regular activity at the church, since it is an excellent venue. Piano lessons are held almost daily. During the Aspen Music Festival
every August, student recital
s are held, free of charge and open to the public, three days a week. Recitals are also held by local and visiting musicians year-round. In the summer the church holds two music camps for children, one religious in orientation.
The church also participates in charitable work and missions, both in Aspen and overseas. Locally, it supports the city's homeless shelter
and works with other private and public agencies to provide any emergency response that may be needed. In 2008 two members traveled to Meru, Kenya
, as part of the Partnering in Education and Aid for Kenya (PEAK) program sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church
. They helped rebuild a local school and improve its facilities, and the church was able to send thousands of donated books later. More volunteers, including pastor
Jane Keener-Quiat and her husband, traveled to Meru in 2010 and did more work improving water and sanitary facilities. An ongoing sponsorship has been started, and more trips are planned through 2012.
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, Colorado, United States. It is a stone building erected in the late 19th century. In 1975 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, the only house of worship in Aspen to be accorded that distinction.
When built, it was originally the home of a Presbyterian congregation
Congregation
A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship:* Local church* Congregation , an administrative body of the Roman Catholic Church...
. Several decades later, when Aspen's population had declined considerably from the era when the church was built, the church merged into a Methodist congregation in the city, part of an agreement by which a Methodist church elsewhere in Colorado became Presbyterian. The church building, restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
in the early 21st century, is largely intact from its original construction.
During the work, the largest organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
on the Western Slope
Colorado Western Slope
The Western Slope of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado incorporating everything in the state west of the Continental Divide. The Colorado River and its tributaries divide the region into north and south at Grand Junction, Colorado...
was installed. The church, often compared to a fortress or castle in appearance, has been a popular local music venue and is used annually by the Aspen Music Festival
Aspen Music Festival and School
The Aspen Music Festival and School, founded in 1949, is an internationally renowned classical music festival that presents music in an intimate, small-town setting...
for recital
Recital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
s. It hosts two children's music camps of its own every summer, among a range of programs that include yoga and a mission to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
Building
The church is on the northeast corner of the intersection, a block north of Main Street (Colorado State Highway 82Colorado State Highway 82
State Highway 82 is an 85.29 mile long state highway in the U.S. state of Colorado.-Route description:SH 82 provides the principal transportation artery of the Roaring Fork Valley on the Colorado Western Slope, running from Interstate 70 at Glenwood Springs southeast past Carbondale, Basalt...
). It is just outside downtown Aspen. The surrounding buildings are primarily residential; although there is a large commercial plaza a block
City block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
to the north along East Hallam Street. The level terrain of the city's commercial core begins to slope gently toward the Roaring Fork River
Roaring Fork River
Roaring Fork River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in west central Colorado in the United States. The river drains a populated and economically vital area of the Colorado Western Slope called the Roaring Fork Valley or Roaring Fork Watershed, which includes the resort...
.
The building itself is a three-story structure faced in rough-cut peachblow sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
topped with a hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
. Gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d sections cross in the middle of the side elevations, with supporting buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. A large cylindrical bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
is located at the southwest corner.
On the opposite corner of the south (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, the bell tower is complemented by a slightly projecting gabled section. Its first story has three small square windows. Above it is a large round stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
window, topped by two narrow windows in the gable field. In the middle, the central section has the main entrance, where a short set of steps rises to recessed glass-windowed wooden double door in a segmental-arch surround. In its transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
is a floral pattern carved into a single sandstone block. Its springline is parallel to the first-story windows on the eastern section.
The bell tower has three stages. Just to its north is a secondary entrance, sheltered by a dark wooden shed roof on posts, pierced by a gable. The first stage of the tower rises to the roofline, with three narrow windows on the west side and two on the south. At the roofline its facing changes to stained
Wood stain
A wood stain consists of a colorant suspended or dissolved in a 'vehicle' or solvent. The suspension agent can be water, alcohol, petroleum distillate, or the actual finishing agent...
wooden shingles. This middle section is fenestrated with narrow lancet arch louver
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
ed vents at 45-degree intervals. The top is the slightly overhanging bell-shaped roof with finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
.
Inside, the sanctuary has oaken pews and detailed stained glass windows. The walls are done in red except for the large white cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
. Inside it is a vault with some artifacts from the church's construction—a Bible, the Presbyterian newspaper, some Aspen newspapers and a list of all the church officers and the workers involved in the construction project.
History
Construction began on the church in 1890. At that time, Aspen had experienced rapid growthBoomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
in the preceding decade, from a rough campsite to a bustling city of thousands due to the Colorado Silver Boom
Colorado Silver Boom
The Colorado Silver Boom was a dramatic expansionist period of silver mining activity in the U.S. state of Colorado in the late 19th century. The boom started in 1879 with the discovery of silver at Leadville...
. The Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
church by Frederick Albert Hale, designer of the First Congregational Church
First Congregational Church, Pueblo, Colorado
First Congregational Church is a Gothic Revival style church building in Pueblo, Colorado. The building designed by Fred A. Hale and constructed in 1889 with Manitou sandstone includes a bell tower....
in Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
and the Aspen and Cowenhoven blocks downtown, used the same distinctive orange peachblow sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, quarried in the nearby valley of the Fryingpan
Fryingpan River
The Fryingpan River is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, approximately long, in west central Colorado in the United States.It rises in northeastern Pitkin County, in the White River National Forest in the Sawatch Mountains along the western side of the continental divide. It flows westward...
, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Roaring Fork, as other Aspen landmarks like the Wheeler Opera House
Wheeler Opera House
The Wheeler Opera House is located at the corner of East Hyman Avenue and South Mill Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a stone building erected during the 1890s, from a design by Willoughby J. Edbrooke...
and Brand Building
Brand Building
The Hyman–Brand Building, often referred to as just the Brand Building, is located at the corner of South Galena Street and East Hopkins Avenue in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a two-story stone building erected in the late 19th century...
. A thousand people attended the church's dedication ceremony in 1891, the conclusion of ten months of building that cost $20,000 ($ in contemporary dollars). There the cornerstone vault was filled. The Aspen Daily Times was the first to liken the building to a fortress or castle.
Two years after the church's completion, Aspen's fortunes changed for the worse. At the onset of the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
, Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act
Sherman Silver Purchase Act
The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was enacted on July 14, 1890 as a United States federal law. It was named after its author, Senator John Sherman, an Ohio Republican, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee...
, the underpinning of the city's growth and prosperity. Over the next decades, the population began to decline as the local economy shifted to ranching and what little silver mining the market could still sustain, a period in the city's history known as the "quiet years". The church continued to hold services, but by 1934, with Aspen's population down to a few hundred, the congregation was too small to continue.
A solution came in an agreement with the local Methodist church, which was also feeling pressured. In Loma
Loma, Colorado
Loma is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located northwest of Grand Junction in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The Loma Post Office has the ZIP Code 81524.Loma is home to Loma Elementary School, whose mascot is the lion...
, on Colorado's western border, a similar situation had developed with a Presbyterian and Methodist church contemplating a merger. The four churches agreed to merge into two and swap denomination
Denomination
Denomination may refer to:*Religious denomination, such as a:**Christian denomination**Jewish denomination**Islamic denomination**Hindu denominations**Buddhist denomination...
s. The Aspen church became Methodist and the previously Methodist Loma church became Presbyterian.
In the following decades, Aspen was slowly reborn as a popular and pioneering ski resort
Aspen Mountain (ski area)
Aspen Mountain is a ski area located in Pitkin County, Colorado, just outside and above the city of Aspen. It is situated on the north flank of Aspen Mountain and the higher Bell Mountain at an elevation of 11,212 ft just to the south of Aspen Mountain...
and second-home community for the wealthy and famous. The combined church grew with it. In the 1980s, the building was extensively restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
inside and out in anticipation of its centennial. Most of its finishes had never been modernized, so they regained their original appearance afterwards. The basement was gutted to make it even more usable for community events, and the side entrance was added.
It was completed in time for the 1990 observances. A later renovation added the largest organ on Colorado's Western Slope
Colorado Western Slope
The Western Slope of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado incorporating everything in the state west of the Continental Divide. The Colorado River and its tributaries divide the region into north and south at Grand Junction, Colorado...
to the sanctuary. In 2009, structural engineer
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
s and other experts hired by the church told it the building's structural system
Structural system
The term structural system or structural frame in structural engineering refers to load-resisting sub-system of a structure. The structural system transfers loads through interconnected structural components or members.-High-rise buildings:...
was handling 12 times the load
Structural load
Structural loads or actions are forces, deformations or accelerations applied to a structure or its components.Loads cause stresses, deformations and displacements in structures. Assessment of their effects is carried out by the methods of structural analysis...
it was designed for. The church met in the Aspen Historical Society's property at the former Wheeler–Stallard House
Wheeler–Stallard House
The Wheeler–Stallard House is located on West Bleeker Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is an 1880s brick structure built in the Queen Anne architectural style, and renovated twice in the 20th century. In 1975 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.It was built by...
for six weeks while tie rod
Tie rod
A tie rod is a slender structural unit used as a tie and capable of carrying tensile loads only.- Subtypes and examples of applications :* In airplane structures, tie rods are sometimes used in the fuselage or wings....
s were installed in the ceiling.
Programs and services
The church holds services every Sunday morning. Services for the Latin American community are held on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. One of the Aspen chapters of AlcoholicsAlcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
or Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous is a twelve-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous describing itself as a "fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem," and it is the second-largest 12-step organization...
meets in the church almost daily. Yoga classes are held monthly. Small groups devoted to particular topics, both religious and nonreligious, meet in congregants' homes weekly. The church is also available for weddings, including receptions, and other special events and community groups.
Music is also a regular activity at the church, since it is an excellent venue. Piano lessons are held almost daily. During the Aspen Music Festival
Aspen Music Festival and School
The Aspen Music Festival and School, founded in 1949, is an internationally renowned classical music festival that presents music in an intimate, small-town setting...
every August, student recital
Recital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
s are held, free of charge and open to the public, three days a week. Recitals are also held by local and visiting musicians year-round. In the summer the church holds two music camps for children, one religious in orientation.
The church also participates in charitable work and missions, both in Aspen and overseas. Locally, it supports the city's homeless shelter
Homeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
and works with other private and public agencies to provide any emergency response that may be needed. In 2008 two members traveled to Meru, Kenya
Meru, Kenya
-Transport:The City of Meru is linked to Nairobi by a paved road, whether from the south around the east side of Mount Kenya, via Embu, or from the northwest around the west and north side of Mount Kenya, via Nanyuki and Timau....
, as part of the Partnering in Education and Aid for Kenya (PEAK) program sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
. They helped rebuild a local school and improve its facilities, and the church was able to send thousands of donated books later. More volunteers, including pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
Jane Keener-Quiat and her husband, traveled to Meru in 2010 and did more work improving water and sanitary facilities. An ongoing sponsorship has been started, and more trips are planned through 2012.