Committee forwards revised landmark designation for Knights of Columbus hall at 1555 North Grant

The Community Planning and Housing Committee on Jan. 20 voted to forward a revised landmark nomination for 1555 North Grant — the Knights of Columbus hall — to the full City Council.

Abigail Christman, a principal planner with the city's historic preservation staff, presented the updated application. She said the boundary remains unchanged but that the parking lot has been reclassified from a contributing resource to non‑contributing, which allows greater flexibility for future changes while keeping the site under landmark review. "So the parking lot will still be part of the boundary... but it will be non contributing," Christman said.

Christman described two contributing resources on the site: a 1928 event hall and a 1963 meeting hall, and noted the property's ties to the Knights of Columbus and Denver's Catholic and civic life, including use as a USO base during World War II. She said the building is recommended in part for its mid‑century modern architecture and for being an example of the work of architect John Milen; staff indicated the structure demonstrates early use of prestressed double‑T concrete in Colorado.

Council President Amanda Sandoval and several colleagues praised the revised nomination and said they worked to address concerns raised at an earlier committee meeting — in particular, removing the parking lot as a contributing feature to avoid codifying it in a way that might hamper future uses. Sandoval also said she confirmed with the assessor's office that tax assessment timing could be managed to reduce immediate financial impacts on the owner.

Tom Viles, representing the Knights of Columbus council that uses the hall, explained the organization and said the hall has been open to the public for events. Landmark staff noted the Landmark Preservation Commission voted unanimously to approve the updated nomination and recommended forwarding the item to the City Council. The committee moved and seconded the item and signaled approval by voice/thumbs up to advance it to the full council.

Next steps: the nomination will be scheduled for a City Council hearing; if approved, the designation would require design review for changes inside the landmark boundary but would allow flexible treatment of the parking lot as non‑contributing.