Marycrest
For 75 years, Marycrest, the 25-acre campus of the Sisters of St. Francis, served as an oasis of peace and good works amidst the hustle and bustle of northwest Denver. The remaining Sisters continue to reside on a portion of the property with the remaining acreage currently being developed with cohousing, affordable rent apartments, market rate single family row homes, commercial structures (now open: a Starbucks), and acreage set aside for Habitat for Humanity single family homes.
The History of Marycrest
1917 Sisters of St Francis begin teaching at St Elizabeth’s School
1938 Sacred Heart province of Sisters of St Francis is created and headquartered in Denver
1938 Mother Lidwina Jacobs acquires the Willowcrest estate in northwest Denver for $25,000
1950 The Sisters acquire an adjacent Painter estate, including its mansion
1954 The convent (where I currently live) is designed by renowned Denver architect John K Monroe and constructed
1958 The Sisters open the all-girls Marycrest High School in the old Painter mansion
1966 Most sisters in history, 26, reside at Marycrest
1998 Sisters open 2 assisted living residences at Marycrest
2005 With the Sisters’ numbers dwindling, they offer the convent and surrounding land for sale
2008 Remaining Sisters leave the convent and move to Casa Chiara duplexes they had built on Marycrest property