vacant denver high school may be repurposed

A historic south Denver high school that has been closed since 2005 may be renovated and upgraded, to be used once again as a school.

According to published reports, a private organization has contacted the Denver Public Schools making an offer on the building, which is located at 2330 South Sherman Street.

District officials have for several years been talking about what to do with the former Rosedale Elementary School which sits on a 40-acre site, with ideas ranging from selling or leasing the building to reopening it as a public school.

In 2017 a move was made to reconvert the 12-classroom building into affordable housing for teachers, but that idea was ultimately discarded after area residents expressed opposition.

An earlier architectural assessment of the building commissioned by Denver Public Schools determined that it would take at least $8 million to bring the structure up to code.

Built in 1924, the Victorian Gothic building was designed by famed Colorado architect Jacques Benedict.
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It is expected that members of the Denver Public Schools’ board of education will take up the issue of what to do with the structure, as well as how to respond to the recent bid to purchase it, sometime next month.

​By Garry Boulard

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