Tammen Hall

Tammen Hall was constructed between 1930 and 1932 as an addition to Children's Hospital. The art deco building designed by Merrill Hoy is still regraded as a work of great architectural significance along with some of his other projects like the Denver Public Library and Red Rocks Amphitheatre. This building served as a nursing school and also served as a housing facility for children with terminal illnesses offering school rooms, an auditorium, library, pools, and a gym. When Children's Hospital closed, Tammen Hall was renovated into affordable senior housing. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

When Children's Hospital was in a need of additional patient rooms and other facilities like a school room, auditorium, and patient library in 1924, Denver resident Agnes Tammen and her husband Harry Tammen, owners of the Denver Post, donated donated $100,000 to Children's Hospital which financed the construction of a new wing for the hospital and this building, Tammen Hall.

A groundbreaking ceremony for Tammen Hall was held in 1930 and construction was complete two years later. The building was designed by Merrill Hoyt in the Art Deco style with blond brick and gargoyles on the exterior. It had terrazzo floors, marble carved fireplaces, and vaulted ceilings in the entryway. Tammen Hall opened with 150 private rooms for the nursing staff, a library, classrooms, an auditorium, dining facilities, laboratories, and a gym in the basement. A unique feature to this building was a rooftop garden and a swimming pool added in 1936 to support hydrotherapy. There were hot pools for Polio patients and salt pools for Tuberculosis patients.

In 1956 the school was closed and the building became administration and staff offices. In 2009 Tammen Hall was officially closed and Children's Hospital moved to a larger facility outside of Denver. The old hospital along with Tammen Hall was repurposed, with Tammne Hall serving as affordable senior housing with 49 apartment units.  

1. Brown, Jennifer. Historic downtown Denver building to become affordable housing for seniors, The Denver Post. August 23rd 2017. Accessed July 3rd 2020. https://www.denverpost.com/2017/08/23/tammen-hall-historic-building-affordable-housing-seniors/.
2. History & Paranormal Investigation at The Children's Hospital, Rocky Mountain Paranormal. Accessed July 6th 2020. https://www.rockymountainparanormal.com/images/childrensrept.pdf.
3. Bryson, Donna. Proof that history and affordability can coincide is in Tammen Hall, The Denverite. October 18th 2019. Accessed July 6th 2020. https://denverite.com/2019/10/18/proof-that-history-and-affordability-can-coincide-is-in-tammen-hall/.