In our previous AOW Blogs, we explored the first “Human Footprints on Garden of the Gods,” giving credit to the first surveyors, “The Jimmys,” and William J. Palmer in “Saddles to Spires.” Now, we enter an era where the raw, dusty spirit of the Old West met the polished gleam of high society. This was the Penrose Era—a time when Colorado Springs stopped being a frontier outpost and started becoming a world-class destination.
The Architect of Luxury and the Lady of Refinement
Spencer “Spec” Penrose arrived in Colorado after being the “black sheep” of a prominent Philadelphia family. A Harvard graduate who preferred gambling to law books, Spec found his fortune in the Cripple Creek gold mines. He was a man of legendary grit—the kind of “bad boy” who reportedly rode his horse through the Antlers Hotel lobby to protest a dry alcohol policy.
In 1906, Spencer married Julie McMillan, a woman of poise and vision. If Spencer was the engine, Julie was the steering wheel. Together, they formed an unstoppable power couple. While Spencer’s ambition led to the creation of the Pikes Peak Highway and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, it was Julie’s influence that ensured these projects were steeped in European elegance. She infused the rugged West with the arts, music, and an architectural grace that still defines the city’s silhouette.
Penrose’s Mediterranean Style Lavish Home
Dining Room
Building the “Pink Jewel”
Their greatest monument to “sophisticated grit” was The Broadmoor.
In 1918, Spec transformed a failed casino and dairy farm into a Mediterranean-style palace.
While Spec focused on the engineering—and famously hoarded one of the nation’s largest private liquor stashes during Prohibition—Julie curated the fine linens, world-class art, and five-star service. They proved that you could have a tuxedo in the ballroom and a pair of hiking boots in the mud, and both would feel right at home.
An Everlasting Fountain
The Penrose legacy didn’t fade when the gold ran thin. In 1937, they established the El Pomar Foundation, ensuring their wealth would serve Colorado forever. To date, the foundation has poured over $700 million back into the community, supporting everything from Penrose-St. Francis Hospital to the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Today, you can still hear the Westminster chimes echoing from the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, where the couple is interred. It stands as a literal beacon over the valley—a granite tower built without a single nail. It is the perfect symbol of their era: rugged enough to withstand a mountain storm, yet refined enough to be a work of art.
General Palmer gave Colorado Springs its bones, but the Penroses gave it its soul. They taught the Front Range that you don’t have to lose your grit to find your glamour.
Many of Adventures Out West’s Jeep tours include deeper history about the Penroses, the Broadmoor, El Pomar/Penrose’s Home, and the Will Rogers Shrine. BOOK HERE!
We can’t wait to share more of our history with you!
Sassafrass/Tammila Wright