Celebrating a Milestone

By Dave Sevick

It wasn’t long ago that Tennyson Center for Children (TCC) stood on the brink of uncertainty. The end to our century-long legacy of service to children seemed not only possible, but probable.  So it seems even more amazing that a mere eight years later, we would realize an incredible milestone moment as we celebrated ownership of our campus and facilities as well as a long and bright future for TCC.

On May 17, Tennyson Center commemorated its recent purchase of the campus where it has resided since 1907 with a very special dedication ceremony and dinner.  The event also celebrated the 2005 collaborative effort with the Urban Land Conservancy (ULC) which saved Tennyson from losing its campus in Denver’s Highlands community.

Just one year after celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2004, TCC found itself on the verge of a crisis when its former parent company put the property on the auction block after filing for bankruptcy. Lacking a friendly bidder, it appeared that TCC would have to either move or close its doors. A developer seemed to have the winning bid just hours prior to the auction deadline. However, the developer failed to close within the requisite timeline and, at the eleventh hour, the newly formed Urban Land Conservancy stepped forward with the next highest bid.  The Conservancy, which is supported by the Gary-Williams Foundation, was created as a nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to create and preserve important community assets.  The ULC purchased and closed on the Tennyson Center property on April 1, 2005. In January of 2011, with an aggressive and successful capital campaign underway, Tennyson Center purchased its campus back from the ULC at the original purchase price.  And finally, this past May, it was time to celebrate full ownership of the property TCC has occupied for more than a century.

With approximately 90 guests in attendance, the ceremony took place in the newly renovated and expanded outdoor amphitheater at Tennyson Center, a project made possible through a grant from Colorado Garden Show, Inc. The area will serve as multipurpose outdoor classroom for TCC students as well as a space that students, staff and Tennyson supporters can enjoy during the warmer months of the year.  But for that special evening, the area was transformed into an old-style Parisian outdoor café, complete with retro-style street lamps.  Capital Grille provided the cuisine for the evening which included filet mignon and lobster tails.

Notable guests included Sam Gary, Board Chair of Gary-Williams Energy Corporation and co-founder of the Urban Land Conservancy; Ted Harms of the Anschutz Foundation and wife Jan;  Gary Shapiro, morning anchor on KUSA/9News, and wife Katie;  David Younggren, Board Chair for Urban Land Conservancy; Stan Sprinkle, Tennyson Board member and CEO of Sprinkle Financial Services, and wife Sandi; and many more.

“This was a very special evening for us,” said Tennyson Center President and CEO, Bob Cooper. “Not only are we able to celebrate the fact that we own our campus, but we also want to show our immense gratitude to the Urban Land Conservancy.  Without them, our entire legacy of service to children and families would have been in serious jeopardy.”

Established in 2003, Urban Land Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that uses real estate as a tool to benefit urban communities. ULC acquires, preserves, and develops real estate for urban assets such as workforce housing, community centers, affordable nonprofit office space and schools.  For more information, go to www.urbanlandc.org.

 ©2012 Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home.