Spencer Penrose
Encyclopedia
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
at the turn of the 20th century
Fin de siècle
Fin de siècle is French for "end of the century". The term sometimes encompasses both the closing and onset of an era, as it was felt to be a period of degeneration, but at the same time a period of hope for a new beginning...
. He was born into a prominent Philadelphia family of Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
descent and was brother to Boies Penrose
Boies Penrose
Boies Penrose was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1897 until his death in 1921.-Biography:...
and Richard Penrose
R. A. F. Penrose, Jr.
Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose, Jr., better known throughout his career as R. A. F. Penrose, Jr., was an American mining geologist and entrepreneur....
. Penrose started as a ladies-man and an adventurer who became a successful entrepreneur in the gold fields of nearby Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek may refer to:Places* Cripple Creek, Colorado* Cripple Creek, VirginiaSongs* "Cripple Creek ", traditional folk song* "Up on Cripple Creek" by The Band* "Cripple Creek Ferry" by Neil Young on the album After the Gold Rush...
in the 1890s as a manager of the local real estate office of Charles L Tutt, a general supplies' merchant and gold assayer; his great fortune evolved from his associations with his geologist brother's gold and silver mine in the Commonwealth mine in Pearce, AZ, and in his prescient purchase of Utah property that held enormous reserves of low grade copper ore that was extracted via a new metallurgical technique developed by one of his engineers in his Cripple Creek associations. He married Julie Villiers Lewis McMillan and settled down.
He has contributed many of the most prominent landmarks in Colorado Springs and Penrose used his vast amounts of money to invest in other national mineral concerns and financed construction of the Broadmoor Hotel
Broadmoor Hotel
The Broadmoor is a 5-star/5-diamond luxury hotel and resort, located in southwestern Colorado Springs, Colorado. Built in the early 20th century as the "Grand Dame of the Rockies", it was one of the finest resort destinations along the Rocky Mountains during the age of railroads. It continues to be...
, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a mountainside zoo, located southwest of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado on Cheyenne Mountain in the United States at an elevation of above sea level. The Zoo sits on out of a footprint. It is located west of the Broadmoor Hotel Resort along the slopes of Cheyenne...
, the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, also known as Will Rogers Shrine or 5EP2175, is the tomb which holds the ashes of Spencer Penrose , a philanthropist who contributed many of the most prominent landmarks in Colorado Springs, including the neighboring Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Broadmoor Hotel...
, the Pikes Peak Highway
Pikes Peak Highway
The Pikes Peak Highway is a toll road that runs from Cascade, Colorado to the summit of Pikes Peak in El Paso County, Colorado, at an altitude of...
, an important local hospital, and established the El Pomar Foundation, which still oversees many of his contributions in Colorado Springs today.
Spencer and Julie Penrose are buried in the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun on Cheyenne Mountain
Cheyenne Mountain
Cheyenne Mountain is a mountain located just outside the southwest side of Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., and is home to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and its Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, formerly known as the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center .Throughout the Cold War and...
, overlooking the Broadmoor Hotel. Mr. Penrose was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2002.
El Pomar Foundation
El Pomar Foundation was established in 1937 by Spencer and Julie Penrose to enhance, encourage and promote the current and future well being of the people of Colorado through grantmaking and community stewardship. The Foundation's name "El Pomar" is old Spanish for "The Orchard", derived from the Penrose home situated on an apple orchard.Based in Colorado Springs, El Pomar Foundation is one of the largest and oldest private foundations in the Rocky Mountain West, with assets totaling $500 million. El Pomar contributes more than $20 million annually through grants and community stewardship programs to support Colorado nonprofit organizations involved in health, human services, education, arts and humanities, and civic and community initiatives.
Carriage Museum
The Penroses were avid collectors of automobiles, rare carriages, and racecars. These and other historical pieces can be found at the Carriage Museum which is located in Colorado Springs, CO next to the Broadmoor Hotel. The museum is approximately 8500 square feet (789.7 m²) and holds the entire lifetime collection of Spencer and Julie Penrose.The first floor is mainly composed of vintage historic carriages that were used by the Penroses and/or their friends and relatives. The second floor does have some carriages on it but mainly consists of miscellaneous items such as machetes, guns, and a Native American headdress "worn by Spencer Penrose".
See also
- Spencer Penrose AwardSpencer Penrose AwardThe Spencer Penrose Award is awarded yearly to the top coach in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey by the American Hockey Coaches Association.The finalists for each year's award comprise the conference Coach of the Year winners from each Division I men's ice hockey conference, plus the coaches of the...
, given annually to the top coach in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey