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Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun

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1937, Charles S. Thomas. Wonder View Rd. above Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
  • (Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
  • (Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Refreshed by a facelift in 1995, this five-story medieval tower of rough-faced granite, with buttressed corners and crenelated parapet, perches on the side of Cheyenne Mountain overlooking Colorado Springs. No wood or nails were used in the structure, which features floors of red Italian marble and terrazzo. A spiral stairway connects the four rooms, which are filled with memorabilia honoring Will Rogers, the cowboy humorist. The fourth floor observation alcove displays local history murals by Randall Davey of Santa Fe. A bronze bust of Will Rogers (1935) by Jo Davidson stands in the front courtyard. Spencer and Julie Penrose are buried here in what was initially planned as their private shrine and mausoleum. Penrose dedicated the tower to Will Rogers after Rogers died in a plane crash in 1935.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Thomas J. Noel
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Data

What's Nearby

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Education Center
El Pomar Center
Pauline Chapel
Broadmoor Hotel
The Colorado Springs School (Claremont)

Citation

Thomas J. Noel, "Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun", [Colorado Springs, Colorado], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/CO-01-EP57.

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