DID YOU KNOW
Miramont Castle
Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs was constructed in 1895 as a private home for Jean Baptist Francolon, a French-born Catholic priest.
The construction of the castle, which features nine styles of architecture ranging from English Tudor to Byzantine and crafted from locally quarried greenstone and yellow-pine framing, was paid for by the priest’s mother, who also lived there.
After they moved from the castle, the Sisters of Mercy used it as a tuberculosis sanitarium and later as a summer retreat for nuns and priests.
About 1940, the castle was converted into an apartment building with 10 units. Over the years, there was virtually no upkeep on the building, and by 1975, it was in extreme disrepair when the city of Manitou Springs condemned it.
The Manitou Springs Historical Society purchased it and began restoration, although plans had been in the works to tear it down.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Miramont is now a museum, with its goal to help preserve the Victorian heritage of Manitou Springs and the Pikes Peak region. A tearoom seats about 30 to 35 people, and a chapel is available that hosts small weddings. Grants and fees pay for its upkeep.
Sources: Bob Yager, executive director and manager of Miramont Castle, Manitou Springs Historical Society, www.miramontcastle.org
REGIONAL NOTES
CENTENNIAL
Sweetness Bowl to benefit needy
South Suburban Parks and Recreation’s seventh annual 8-on-8 Sweetness Bowl flag-football tournament is set for Saturday at David A. Lorenz Regional Park, 8560 S. Colorado Blvd.
Last year, the event brought in $1,800 worth of toys for needy children in Arapahoe County. The game is a tribute to late Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, whose nickname was Sweetness.
The cost to participate is $305 a team, with $80 of the fee going toward toys that will be distributed to needy families through Inter-Faith Community Services.
To register for the tournament, call 303-798-7515 or visit the South Suburban office, 6631 S. University Blvd.
ARVADA
City hall expansion to begin soon
A $2.2 million expansion and remodel of Arvada City Hall is scheduled to begin in mid-December, with most of the project to provide more space for the Police Department.
Arvada voters approved a sales-tax referendum in 2005 that adds 25 cents to a $100 purchase in the city, with the money earmarked to put 23 police officers on the streets.
The construction, which will be paid from the new tax and other city funds, is scheduled for completion in October.
DENVER POST STAFF REPORTS
