A Historical Timeline:

1874: Parish was founded at 26th, and Curtis, named after a Boston church, Trinity Memorial Chapel, began to hold services on Trinity Sunday 1874. The first rector was Rev’d W.H. Moore.

1880: St. John’s in the Wilderness Cathedral Church cornerstone was laid at 19th and Welton. The Reverend Henry Martyn Hart, from London, served as Rector. Matthews Hall, a Theological School, and many other religious buildings shared the site and surrounding area. Creating a “Cathedral Close” where the Episcopal Church in Colorado was centered and located for many years.

Early1900s: In 1903, the Cathedral Church burned to the ground. A $1,000-dollar reward was offered, but the arsonist was never caught. The Cathedral decided to relocate to its present-day location. In 1904, the Trinity Memorial Chapel was deemed unsafe, and the search for a new site began. The talents of Ralph Adams Cram, famous for his Gothic style, were sought for the new churches. In 1908, the cornerstone was laid at 2015 Glenarm for Trinity Memorial Chapel (now called Trinity Memorial Church*). In 1919, the name was officially changed to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.

1920s: Father Neil Stanley became Vicar. He brought his zeal for Anglo-Catholic worship to the heart of the city. He also loved artwork; many pieces in the nave today were acquired during his tenure. Sisters of St. Anne, develop ministries among consumptives, polio victims, and children being relocated West on the Denver Orphan Train. The Parish House was also built during his tenure.

Mid-20th Century: Financial struggles prompted the diocese to deem St. Andrew’s a mission** church, bringing the leadership and clergy under the bishop's watchful eye.

1960s: Fr. Jon Marr Stark (Abbot Jon Aidan Marr) became Rector in 1969. His love of “high church” liturgy and his desire to champion social advocacy began the legacy of St. Andrew’s being a sanctuary in the city for all.

1969: Parish House transformed into a Crisis Center for “counter cultural” youth in Denver. Over 1000 youths were assisted and many attended Fr. Jon’s “Love Masses.”

1970s: Order of the Holy Family was founded; Father Jon Marr was their first Abbott. Their mission was centrally focused on the needs of the homeless population in the Denver area. The undercroft was often opened to people needing a night's sleep. The Order departed for Santa Fe, NM, in 1984.

1971: On a no-knock warrant Denver Police pried open a screen on the rectory, they were there to search for suspected drug and weapons possession. Around 40 people were arrested. Ultimately, the charges were seen as overblown and dropped. With support coming in from around Denver, the crisis center and St. Andrew’s thrived and saw numbers increase. Fr. Jon Marr Stark, strongly condemned the heavy handed response by Denver Police and worked toward better communication between the Department, St. Andrew’s, and the surrounding neighborhood.

1980s: A decade of many transitions and changes. The parish sought guidance from the Bishop, and new missional work was discerned. Inner City Congregation, led by the first woman priest in Colorado, began to share space with St. Andrew’s.

1986: Father Ken Near became Vicar, solidifying the relationship between St. John’s and St. Andrew’s for many years. He, too, loved “high-church” Anglo-Catholic worship. Major repairs to the church were conducted during his tenure, and many of the more recent art pieces were either donated or created by parishioners.

1990s: In 1991, Fr. Near stepped down as vicar, and Rev’d Connie Delzell was called to be St. Andrew’s next Vicar. She had a vision for the church that centered on social advocacy and outreach. She worked tirelessly on developing education programs and outreach ministries and enhanced the spiritual and intellectual life of the church. She was among the founding members of St. Elizabeth School and worked on projects that assisted people with HIV/AIDS.

1994: Music Director Timothy Krueger was hired to lead the music department. With his leadership, St. Andrew’s has defined itself as a church with a deep and well-curated love of music.

1995: The Rev’d Sally Brown, Deacon, was called to serve with Mother Connie and assist her in worship and the many outreach programs developed during the decade.

1999: On All Hallows Eve (overnight), a major fire broke out in the undercroft. The undercroft was a total loss, but the nave fortunately only sustained minor smoke and fire damage. The congregation relocated temporarily to the Temple Events Center. The church was refurbished and expanded through Capital Campaign Funds, grants, and donations. The new Buzard organ was also acquired.

2000s: In 2000, St. Andrew’s gained parish status, marking a new era of financial and missional independence. Mother Connie retired in 2007, and the church was rededicated in 2008 with the call of Mother Elizabeth Randall as the new Rector. Sunday services resumed in the church in 2009.

2018: The Arts Ministry sponsors and hosts an exhibition of icons written by Ludmila Pawlowska, “Icons in Transformation.” After the exhibit, a few pieces were purchased and installed in the nave of the church.

Mid-21st Century: On March 15, 2020, the world went into lockdown as the Coronavirus Pandemic exploded. St. Andrew’s shuttered its doors after Sunday services on this day. A new life of remote worship would begin for the remainder of the year. In-person worship would return, with many restrictions, in late 2021.

2023: Mother Elizabeth Randall retires on Pentecost Sunday. Mother Anna Horen is called as Interim-Rector. Her first Sunday is on Transfiguration Sunday, August 6.

Sources:

St. Andrew’s Archivists, The Western Collection at the Denver Public Library, and The Colorado History Museum.

A book on our history is linked for purchase below.

*The Denver church was named “Trinity Memorial” because it was a memorial to Bishop George Maxwell Randall, who had served at Trinity in Boston before becoming the first bishop of Colorado.
**The designation of mission or parish is determined based on several organizational standards of the diocese the church is located within. St. Andrew’s went through several phases where the two were either interchangeably used or loosely associated with one or the other. We are currently a ‘parish’ within the Diocese of Colorado; represented through the High Plains Region, and in the Sixth Province of The Episcopal Church,