Our Savior’s Lutheran Church

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church has been part of the Capitol Hill Neighborhood for more than 100 years. In the 1990s, the congregation was chosen as one of the ten most important social justice churches in the United States. In the 1980s, the South African secret police broke into the church to rumage through files to learn about Namibian activists. The Parish Building is one of about 50 surviving buildings by the Colorado based Organic Modernist architect Charles A. Haertling

The Church was formed from the merger of two congregations founded by Norwegian immigrants in 1881 in the Five Points Neighborhood. Knutson Brothers Company of Denver began construction of the Gothic Revival sanctuary in the summer of 1923. On May 17, 1925, a large confirmation service marked the first use of the completed building.

In 1962, the church completed an adjoining education wing designed by the Boulder organic modernist architect, Charles A. Haertling. Haertling’s original plans also called for scraping the sanctuary and building an eight-story high rise on the site. The first seven stories were designed to be offices and low-income housing. The church’s new sanctuary would be on the eighth floor and would enjoy a view of the mountains. The fundraising for the tower was not successful, so this project was never completed. In 1991, Lantz-Boggio designed a remodeling project to connect the original sanctuary and the education wing. Until then, worshipers had to go outside to walk from one building to the other. The remodel made the church handicap accessible, installed an elevator, rebuilt angled stairways, added larger basement bathrooms, and added
fellowship space.

Lantz-Boggio also designed a new building on the north end of the property called “Emerson Gardens.” Emerson Gardens provides affordable housing for older adults or adults with disabilities. The 30-unit property is owned by the church but managed by Senior Housing Options of Denver with subsidies from HUD.

The church membership has declined because of changing demographics in Capitol Hill. The congregation would like to redevelop the property but needs community support and buy-in before redevelopment is possible.

Doors Open Denver 2026 Activities: Volunteers from the congregation will run mini guided tours of the building every 15 minutes.  There will be a kids area with big Lego blocks, as well as free refreshments in the fellowship hall.  

Free parking is available on the north and west of the building. The building is fully handicapped accessible with an elevator.