Catherine Mullen Memorial Nurses Home
Denver County
Denver’s visionary Art Deco architect Temple Buell knew how to leave his mark -- you can see it in the vertical red brick spandrels on the 1933 Catherine Mullen Memorial Nurses Home in Denver. From a distance, the brick that creeps up the building and extends beyond the roofline almost resembles a rustic wheat tuft, evoking a regal feel, but without frivolity or ostentation -- a quality Buell mastered.
This distinctive architectural flair is only one reason the building is so significant to the city; today it’s known as the Mullen Building and is a part of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Denver’s oldest nonprofit community hospital. With funding from the History Colorado State Historical Fund, St. Joseph’s will rehabilitate 72 of the 123 double-hung original wood windows that have deteriorated and pose potential safety hazards.
Before Temple Buell designed this magnificent building at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, he was a patient there after he developed tuberculosis from mustard gas poisoning during World War I. The story of the man behind the architecture shows us that the building represents so much more than just great brickwork. Find the human story behind your building, and you’ll captivate your readers.