A new Goddard preschool opened recently at 3914 King St. in the Highland district of Downtown Denver, occupying a historic building that has been used for more than a century to serve area youth.
The building was developed in 1914 as the Robert Steele Gymnasium by the Rev. Walter S. Rudolph to provide a place for play and social opportunities for children in the neighborhood, at a time when schools seldom provided those things. In more recent years, the building housed a Boys and Girls Club, and then Colorado Uplift, a faith-based charity.
David and Allison McMurtry acquired the property last year and put about $1.5M into renovating it. They are franchisees of Goddard, whose schools serve kids under 6 years old using play-based learning. The McMurtrys are planning to install a “history wall” in the school that will showcase old community newspaper clips, photos and letters illustrating the building's and area’s past.
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