A long-quiet medical building on the Penrose estate is getting a second act. El Pomar Foundation is converting the former clinic into a 6,000-square-foot events and conference center available at no charge to nonprofits and government agencies. The new hall, currently referred to as 2 Penrose Blvd., will seat roughly 450 people and is designed to give Colorado nonprofits a larger, year-round meeting space at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain. Foundation leaders say the work will preserve the property’s history while expanding capacity for trainings, retreats, and large gatherings.
What the renovation will look like
The project will rework the reddish-pink former medical facility into a single large conference area with a raised roof and a 17-foot-tall ceiling, which can then be divided into three smaller meeting rooms as needed. Designers plan 14-foot-high glass walls on the western side to frame views of the estate’s pond and the mountain, and the site work will create about 100 new parking places. It is being described as a multi-million-dollar renovation, and, per the Denver Gazette, the space will be offered free to qualified nonprofits and government equivalents.
Why the foundation is rebuilding
City planning documents filed with Colorado Springs describe the conversion as a way to reconnect parcels of the original Penrose estate while creating meeting halls, administrative offices, kitchen space, a chapel, and climate-controlled archival storage for Penrose family records. The filing notes the building has sat vacant since 2023 after its last use as a memory-care facility, and that the renovation will spread bookings across the year rather than compress them into fair-weather months. The project required a use variance because the site is zoned for large-lot residential, and these details appear in the foundation’s project statement filed with the city, according to City of Colorado Springs planning documents.
A modern home for Penrose House programming
El Pomar has operated the Penrose House conference center since renovating the Penroses’ former home in 1992 to serve Colorado nonprofits at no charge, and leaders say the new hall will relieve pressure on the campus’s existing meeting spaces. The estate already includes gardens, fountains, and the Penrose Heritage Museum and serves as a hub for statewide nonprofit training and retreats. For more on Penrose House and the foundation’s historic properties, see El Pomar Foundation.
Timeline and bookings
El Pomar says construction began in early 2026 and that the foundation is aiming for a Jan. 27 opening, with nonprofit bookings to begin as that date approaches. The foundation has invited nonprofit partners to plan future retreats and trainings at the new venue once it opens. Those schedule and booking details were outlined in recent reporting and foundation statements, per the Denver Gazette.
Why this matters
El Pomar and city officials say the goal is practical, to give nonprofits larger, professionally equipped meeting spaces without the cost of renting commercial venues, and to protect and put the Penrose estate’s historic buildings to active use. The foundation’s filings argue the change will increase the campus’s utility for statewide nonprofit programming and help safeguard the property’s legacy for future generations, according to City of Colorado Springs planning documents.
