Julie Penrose, wife of the wildly successful gold- and copper-miner, Spencer, wanted the couple’s 27-acre residential estate on an old apple orchard to purposefully serve the community after their earthly work was done.

Construction at the El Pomar property in the shadow of The Broadmoor hotel — which the Penroses built in 1918 — signals that the land will continue to fulfill the desires of its former owners.

“We see this as a long-term multi-generational investment and expansion of our philanthropic mission for the people of Colorado,” said Erin Hannan, senior vice president of communications for the El Pomar Foundation. Julie and Spencer Penrose established the private charitable foundation in 1937 to enhance the well-being of residents statewide.

Remodeling of an existing reddish-pinkish building at the southeast part of the estate will yield a new 6,000-square-foot events center with a capacity of up to 450 people.

As is the case with Penroses’ former home on the campus, the events center will be available for use by nonprofit organizations and government agencies for free.

The project will satisfy three goals, said Kyle Hybl, president and CEO of El Pomar Foundation.

“It will provide sizable meeting space for nonprofits and government equivalents around the state,” he said. “It has office support space that can be used temporarily by nonprofits, and it’ll hold El Pomar’s archives.”

The building was originally built as a medical facility for the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, who owned and operated Penrose and St. Francis hospitals in Colorado Springs.

The Catholic sisters were gifted the entire Penrose estate by Julie in 1944, following Spencer’s death in 1939, and used it as a spiritual retreat center.

Not yet named, the new project is being referred to as 2 Penrose Blvd., the address of the building that’s undergoing renovation.

Most recently, the nuns leased the building to Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, now under the CommonSpirit Health network, for use as a memory-care facility known as Namaste Alzheimer’s Center.

Namaste ceased operations in 2023, and El Pomar Foundation purchased the property back from the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati in 2024. It’s sat empty until now.

Construction began earlier this year on the multi-million-dollar makeover, Hybl said.

The new event and meeting space will be available year-round, he said.

A raised roof and 17-foot-tall ceiling will allow the conference area to be divided into three separate, smaller rooms.

“As a nod to the sisters’ efforts on the campus and Julie Penrose and her faith, we’re creating a quiet room in the entryway that will be named Namaste,” Hybl said.

El Pomar Foundation bought 20 acres of the estate in 1992 from the sisters and restored and renovated the Penroses’ previous residence at 1661 Mesa Ave., into a conference center referred to as the Penrose House. It’s now listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a local landmark.

The exterior of the building being remodeled will match the Penrose House’s white Mediterranean look, Hybl said. The Penrose House was built in 1910.

El Pomar’s purchase of 2 Penrose Blvd. allowed the two parcels of the Penroses’ old estate to be reconnected, he said.

“The original footprint of the campus at this juncture has been recombined, and we have the ability to honor the legacy and intent our founders had to enhance, encourage and promote the future well-being of the people of Colorado,” Hybl said.

El Pomar Foundation’s leaders considered tearing down the structure at 2 Penrose Blvd., said R. Thayer Tutt Jr., chief investment officer and board vice chair. But remodeling was the favored decision.

“It’s a great opportunity for El Pomar to increase its footprint and impact to the nonprofit sector by building meeting space in a size we’ve never had at Penrose House,” Tutt said. “They can hold small meetings and large meetings all at no cost to the nonprofits and government equivalents.”

The sweeping property, at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain, includes outdoor features such as fountains and gardens, a seasonal pavilion and another house dubbed the Copper Building, which nonprofits such as the Sports Corp., The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and other groups use.

The grounds hosted 32,000 people last year for events and activities of 230 nonprofits, according to statistics.

Since opening 34 years ago, the Penrose House has accommodated more than 1 million people at various gatherings, all “with the hospitality of the Penroses,” Hybl said.

A retention pond formed by water rights that irrigates the property will remain in front of the remodeled building.

“Because the Penroses appreciated the natural beauty of this area, we have intentionally, in the large meeting space along the Western side, added 14-foot-high glass walls, so as people enter, they’ll look out and see the water, the mountain and up the canyon,” Hybl said. “It’s a real nod to the natural beauty of this area.”

Farther west, 100 new parking places are being created.

The opening is scheduled for Jan. 27. Nonprofits will be able to book events as that date nears, Hannan said.

The Penrose House has meant a great deal to Early Connections Learning Centers over the years, said Ashley Groves, vice president of community engagement for the nonprofit child development organization.

“We have used the space for professional development days, leadership meetings, trainings and planning conversations for a long time now, and honestly, it has always felt like such a gift to organizations like ours,” she said.

“As a nonprofit serving children and families, every dollar matters. Beautiful and professional meeting spaces can be incredibly expensive, especially for organizations focused on direct service,” Groves said. “Having access to a place like Penrose House allows nonprofits to invest more directly into their people and programming rather than operational costs.”

Likewise, the expansion at 2 Penrose Blvd. will provide additional meeting space and a larger gathering hall that will “create opportunities that simply do not exist in many affordable ways for nonprofit organizations, community groups and leaders working to strengthen our communities across the region,” Groves added.

Meetings, retreats, conferences and other activities that “help support nonprofits and the nonprofit sector in their missions” will be the primary use of the expansion, Hybl expects.

The Penrose House is often at capacity, Hannan said.

“It’s not our intention to fully program the entire campus every day,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for us to be more flexible and have better and more opportunity to serve the nonprofit community.”

Grantmaking will not be affected by the cost of the project, she added. Last year, El Pomar Foundation distributed $20.6 million in grants to charities statewide.

“The trustees are committed to paying out at least $20.6 million this year as well,” Hannan said.