COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. The Denver-based Boettcher Foundation will grant the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs $150,000 to revitalize a previously stalled campus building remodeling project.
Tim Schultz, president and executive director, Boettcher Foundation, announced the grant Aug. 7, on behalf of the Boettcher Foundation Board of Trustees.
“We are excited by the wonderful things going on at CU-Colorado Springs and are pleased to
contribute to this building of vital importance and historical significance on campus.”
The Boettcher grant will be administered by the CU Foundation, an independent non-profit organization that serves as the official fundraising and fund management organization for CU.
CU-Colorado Springs will use the funds to complete remodeling of Cragmor Hall, a 1950s-era former nursing home on the university’s property. The building is in the midst of a $3 million remodeling and will be used as a student orientation center, offices and visitor center. The consolidation of offices and services into remodeled space will provide efficiencies for the campus.
“We are honored that the Boettcher Foundation has chosen to invest in the current and future students of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs,” Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak said. “The remodeled Cragmor Hall will serve thousands of students for many years to come.”
Cragmor Hall was originally included as part of an extensive renovation to the university’s 1914-era Main Hall completed in 2002. However, because of state funding cutbacks, the renovation stalled for more than a year. Private donations and internal budget reallocations have allowed the project to begin.
Cragmor and Main Halls were originally owned by the Cragmor Sanatorium. The buildings and surrounding 80 acres now occupied by the university were sold to the State of Colorado for $1 in 1965 and the site became home to CU-Colorado Springs.
The Boettcher Foundation is a privately endowed grant making organization dedicated to assisting, encouraging and promoting the general well being of the residents of the State of Colorado. Since 1937, the Foundation has distributed grants in four areas: education, civic and cultural programs, community and social services and hospital and health services.
Charles Boettcher was an early Colorado settler who built a thriving hardware business in Leadville and, later, started well known Colorado companies such as Great Western Sugar Company, Ideal Basic Cement and the investment banking firm, Boettcher & Company. For a number of years, the Boettcher Family also owned the Denver-based Brown Palace Hotel. The Boettcher business empire has Colorado roots that are more than 130 years old.
Earlier this year, the Foundation for Colorado Springs’ Future pledged $120,000 to the Cragmor project, allowing construction to begin. In June, workers began demolishing the building’s interior. Construction is expected to continue through Jan. 2004.
CU-Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls more than 7,400 students annually.