The History of Denver Academy's Chapel

Our campus was named Bethesda before Denver Academy bought it. The first buildings on Bethesda’s campus were built in 1910. Originally, Bethesda was a hospital for people with tuberculosis, a sickness that usually impacts the lungs. Later, Bethesda became a mental health facility.

Our Chapel was built in 1925. Initially, $10,000 was authorized for construction but this number grew to $14,000 as building commenced. According to Dr. Richard H. Harms, Curator of Archives at Calvin College, The Bethesda Bulletins indicate that “a family” donated $5,000 for the chapel and the hope was that the remaining funds would be forthcoming, but the Bulletins do not mention a specific name. 

Former Bethesda CEO Meindert Bosch states, “The Hekman family of Grand Rapids, Michigan, were strong supporters of Bethesda. For many decades, at least one member of the Hekman family was also on the Board of Trustees. My book Bridges Across the Years has at least three different photos showing board members by that name. This cannot be confirmed through documentation on my part, but over the years, the Hekman family was believed to have had a major role in the building of the chapel. They were known for supporting projects like this for various Christian organizations.”

Architect Harry James Manning was famous for building sanatoriums (tuberculosis hospitals) as well as schools, churches, libraries, and homes. He was hired to design some of Bethesda’s first buildings including the Chapel.

In a 2015 report written by Watkins Stained Glass Studio, possibly the same company that crafted the Chapel windows in 1925, “Most stained glass windows are made using lead came, but the windows made for Bethesda Sanatorium were made using zinc. . . .these windows are a very good representation of the traditional Diamond Design window and serve an important role in the “Art, Architecture and Craft” of the Denver Academy Library building. . . .There is a good likelihood that these Bethesda Chapel windows could have been made by Frank Watkins, Phil's [the current owner's] grandfather. It is always an honor to work on windows made by the Watkins family, preserving them for the future, to be enjoyed for many more generations to come.” Phil Watkins restored the Chapel windows for us in 2017.

According to the Landmark Ordinance regarding the Chapel and our Gateway, “Being a significant example of various architectural styles as both the 1926 Chapel and the 1930's Gateway structures are of Dutch origin with traditional stair-stepped architecture and red tile roofs as seen in Amsterdam, Holland. The main entrance of the Chapel is a tower that is accented with bands of buff-colored brick and is capped with a copper cupola. The entrance door is in the shape of a pointed arch. The Chapel behind the entrance tower is a simple rectangular structure with a red clay barrel tile gable roof with stair-stepped brick parapet walls at each end.”

The Chapel was designated as a Landmark (Landmark Number 298) by the City and County of Denver Landmark Preservation Commission in 2000.

Meindert Bosch, CEO Emeritus of Bethesda, discussing the mental health history of Bethesda. Mr. Bosch worked at Bethesda from 1950-1986 and is the author of Bridges Across the Years: Ninety Years of History; the Bethesda Hospital Association, Denver, Colorado 1895 to 1985.

The Reverend Wayne Van Kampen, former Bethesda Reverend from February 1978 to March 1992, working in Pastoral Care and Education. July 25, 2014.

Resources

Watkins Stained Glass Studio. "Denver Academy Library Stained Glass Windows." Englewood, CO: August 14, 2015.