Archdiocese of Denver looks to redevelop, reopen Mullen Home property
The former Mullen Home property in Denver’s West Highland may again operate as a nursing home, this time on a much larger scale.
The Archdiocese of Denver, which was deeded the 8.25- acre site at 3629 W. 29th Ave. in late 2022, wants to demolish all but three buildings on the property and construct a new, sprawling four- story structure, according to plans submitted to the city this past week.
“The Archdiocese of Denver would like to reopen the property and continue the mission of care for aging adults,” wrote Jami S. Mohlenkamp of Oz Architecture, the Denver firm hired to work on the project.
The Mullen Home, named after a former owner of the property, was built in 1917 and expanded over the years by the Little Sisters of the Poor. The Catholic religious order operated the nursing home for more than a century, ultimately closing it in October 2022. The order then transferred the shuttered property, which had 17 independent living apartments and 42 nursing care units, to the archdiocese.
The property is currently leased to the city of Denver to house migrant families. That arrangement runs through the end of this year.
But the archdiocese’s long- term plan is for the site to again house older people. The documents submitted this past week call for three of the existing seven structures to at least partially remain. A mechanical building and club house along Newton Street would be preserved entirely, and the northern half of the property’s main building would also stay standing.
The new four- story structure would take up much of the southern half of the site, taking up part of the existing parking lot and lawn, the plans indicate. It would connect to the preserved portion of the existing main building, which would be renovated.
According to the plans, the new facility would have 214 units: 166 independent living, 24 assisted living and 24 memory care. Additional parking would be added on the northern half of the site.
The archdiocese did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. The plans also bear the logo of Senior Housing Partners, a Minnesota- based firm that bills itself on its website as “a nationally recognized leader in turn- key senior housing development.” The firm, which did not respond to a request for comment, has projects in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Washington state, per the website.