Colorado College - Cutler Hall - Historic Renovation Story

Cutler Hall is a historic Gothic Revival building at the center of the Colorado College campus in Colorado Springs. It was the first building on the campus and was built between 1877 and 1880. Originally called “The College,” it held all the administrative offices, classrooms, a library, an auditorium and more for the growing school.

Above image is the 1980’s renovation which made use of room dividers and temporary walls.

John P Nelson Associates was asked by Colorado College to design an extensive interior remodel of Cutler Hall. The building had previously been renovated in the 1980's. The old remodel no longer served the needs of the building, and were outdated. In association with Senger Design Group, a majority of the interior layout was redesigned to meet the needs of the financial aid and admissions offices that now occupy the building.

Original historic portions of the interior were retained and restored, and new millwork, hardware and interior finishes were provided throughout the building. New interior trim was milled to match the original door and window casings and the original 10” wall base. An elevator was installed to provide ADA (American Disabilities Act) accessibility to all levels of the building, and accessible bathrooms and spaces were provided throughout.

This image is the same room as the previous image, after our renovation. The triangular windows you see line up with the smaller triangular windows on the exterior of the building, which is both consistent with the style of the original design and provides natural light to the extra rooms created.

The work also involved an extensive gutting and replacement of the mechanical systems, and the electrical system and lighting throughout the building was upgraded or replaced.

Cutler Hall is now a fully modern, energy efficient building which is designed to meet the 21st century needs of Colorado College for many years to come.