Tilden School Becomes Denver's 56th Landmark District

By Westword Staff

Friday, December 27, 2019 at 7:13 a.m.

Shannon Stage The Bosler House today, after 125 rocky years. 1/20

Historic Denver Built by the Bosler family, the house once stood almost alone in Highland. 2/20

Historic Denver The Bosler family was the first to occupy the house. 3/20

Historic Denver The Bosler House was made a Denver landmark in 1984. 4/20

Historic Denver In 1916, the house had become the headquarters of the Tilden School. 5/20

Historic Denver Dr. John Henry Tilden was an early practitioner of holistic medicine. 6/20

Historic Denver The Tilden Health Center promised a cure in Denver's dry climate. 7/20

Historic Denver The Boster house was just part of the complex comprising the Tilden School. 8/20

Historic Denver The Tilden School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. 9/20

Historic Denver But by 2000, the Bosler house was a wreck, despite its landmark status. 10/20

Historic Denver The owner's goal was to let the place fall apart... 11/20

Historic Denver so that Denver City Council would allow it to be delisted as a landmark 12/20

Historic Denver And it could be torn down. 13/20

Historic Denver Instead, the city refused to lift the landmark designation. 14/20

Historic Denver Jan and Steve Davis bought the Bosler house, which has been restored... 15/20

Historic Denver down to every detail. 16/20

Historic Denver Now it's the centerpiece of the new Tilden School for Teaching Health Historic District. 17/20

Historic Denver One of the school buildings, in its heyday. 18/20

Historic Denver Buildings flanking the Bosler House are part of the historic district. 19/20

Historic Denver Today, the house lives up to its landmark status. 20/20

Tilden School Becomes Denver's 56th Landmark District

Better late than never: The Tilden School campus, including three buildings overlooking Highland Park and Federal Boulevard that date back more than a century, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 7, 1995. On December 16, 2019, Denver City Council declared the entire complex a Denver landmark district.

Dr. John Henry Tilden, an early practitioner of holistic medicine, founded the Tilden School in 1916 to advance his theories on health, diet and medical treatments that avoided drugs and surgery. The Tilden School was among the many sanatoriums and health facilities emerging in Denver during this era, as doctors from across the country recognized the benefits of Colorado’s climate and altitude. The Bosler House, a Victorian mansion that had already stood for close to thirty years, became the school headquarters, flanked by the primary facility next door at 3249 West Fairview Place and an apartment building for patients on the other side at 3279 Grove Street.

“These buildings tell a story about Denver and the people who came to our city seeking good health,” says Laura Aldrete, executive director of Community Planning and Development, in announcing the landmark approval. “By preserving them, we are not only protecting their architectural significance, but also keeping these interesting stories alive.”

The Tilden School for Teaching Health Historic District is the second landmark district approved by Denver City Council this year and Denver’s 56th overall. The Bosler House itself had been listed in 1984, but became so dilapidated under its last owner that it was in danger of disappearing; new owners took over in 2016 and restored the structure.

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