Auraria Campus is an educational facility located near downtown
Denver, Colorado
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The campus houses facilities of three separate universities and colleges: the
University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is a Public university, public research university located in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is part of the University of Colorado system. Established in 1912 as an extension of the University of C ...
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver or Metro State) is a public university in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is located on the Auraria Campus, along with the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver ...
(MSU Denver). In 2017, there were approximately 54,812 students between the three schools, with rapid growth projected over the following few years. However, due to the
Covid-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and declining enrollment, the collective student population in 2022 was approximately 38,000, with an additional 5,000 faculty and staff.
The campus also houses Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC), the administrative body that handles parking, maintenance, and janitorial services. The campus is located southwest of downtown, on the east side of the
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwestern United States, Midwest and the American Sou ...
and south of Cherry Creek, near the site of the original Auraria mining camp settlement of 1859.
The Auraria Campus is also home to Tivoli Union, the historical, and currently operating after a hiatus, brewery. The Tivoli/Student Union houses a lounge, brewery, movie theater cafeteria, and housing a significant number of student organizations for all three schools. The building also has functioned as a mall at one point.
The 9th St. Park borders the campus to the west, housing community outreach programs, academic departments, and other campus offices as well as a fast-food restaurant in the Mercantile building. Student housing consists of City Heights and Lynx Crossing (formerly known as Campus Village).
CU Denver Neighborhood
Lawrence Street Center
The Lawrence Street Center houses CU Denver's School of Public Affairs, and the School of Education and Human Development, as well as the Graduate School. It also includes many classrooms, and administrative offices, including the office of the chancellor and provost.
CU Denver Building
The CU Denver Building houses CU Denver's College of Architecture and Planning, as well as the department of Digital Arts and Media. It contains classrooms, studio spaces, computer labs, a design fabrication lab, 3-D digital animation labs, a visual resource center, and faculty and administration offices.
Business School
CU Denver's Business School is accredited among the top 5% of Business Schools in the world. This state-of-the-art building was renovated and opened in 2012 and contains several classrooms, computer labs, study rooms, and advising offices.
North Classroom Building
Originally built in 1987, the North Classroom building is the largest building in the CU Denver Neighborhood of campus at 257,500 square feet. It is the primary classroom building for CU Denver, including over 30 classrooms, lecture halls, common areas for study, and a two story glass brick atrium with the Courtyard Cafe. It houses the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It is scheduled for a $33 million renovation which will update interior aesthetics and technology as well as building systems and efficiency improvements. The design phase is currently underway, with construction expected to start mid-2016.
Student Commons Building
The Student Commons Building is a 146,000 square foot building that opened in September, 2014 and cost $60.5 million. It serves the University of Colorado - Denver, and includes the Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Affairs, and Disability offices, as well as several classrooms and lecture halls. The building was named "Best New Building in Denver" by Westword Magazine. It was designed from the ground up with students in mind and contains many places to sit, relax, and study. It was also designed to be a link between Denver's Larimer Square in downtown and the Auraria Campus.
Lola & Rob Salazar Student Wellness Center
The Salazar Wellness Center offers academic and athletic services to students, including study rooms, a lap pool and spa, weight rooms, a climbing wall, and a rental shop for bicycles and other outdoor athletic equipment. The center is named for the Salazar Family Foundation, a prominent philanthropic project in Denver.
MSU Denver Neighborhood
Jordan Student Success Building
The Jordan Student Success Building, funded entirely by student-approved fees, was the first building in the MSU Denver Neighborhood. The building added approximately 145,000 square feet of space on campus for classrooms and offices, specifically for MSU Denver students and professors, providing a centralized location for programming and support services.
Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building
Opening in 2017, MSU Denver's Aerospace and Engineering Sciences building is home to the University' Advanced Manufacturing Sciences Institute and space for several related companies as part of a workforce-development public-private partnership model. The AES Building is located next to the Jordan Student Success Building and has won recognition for its facility design.
MSU Denver Assembly Athletic Complex
This 13 acre complex was completed in 2015 at a cost of almost $24 million. It includes a 20,000 square foot building containing locker room and a state-of-the-art weight room and athletic training room, student-athlete lounge, and meeting rooms. Outside, there are facilities to accommodate MSU Denver's Roadrunners baseball, softball, soccer, and tennis teams.
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown & MSU Denver Hospitality Learning Center
The Center includes the professionally managed 150-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown, conference center, and academic building. The academic building has 30,000 square feet of space including classrooms, labs, and a student-run restaurant. Labs include a light sensory analysis lab for wine, spirits, and beer classes, a 4,000 bottle wine cellar management lab, tourism lab, and events lab. It also contains a high-tech food demonstration theater. In 2023, the Charlie Papazian Brewing Education Lab was completed to replace the brew lab in the Tivoli Student Union.
CCD Neighborhood
CCD Confluence
The Confluence Building, opened May 2013, houses Community College of Denver's Registration and Financial Aid offices as well as 14 classrooms and testing center. Confluence is 87,000 sq.ft. and cost $38 million to build.
Cherry Creek, Boulder Creek, Clear Creek, and Bear Creek Buildings
The main classroom buildings in the CCD neighborhood of campus were renamed in 2013 to help differentiate them from the rest of campus. In addition to renaming them, CCD also gave them each a facelift.
Central Auraria Campus
Arts Building
The Arts Building is the home for CU Denver's College of Arts and Media. The College of Arts and Media at CU Denver was the first college in Colorado devoted to arts and entertainment. Their record label, CAM Records originally signed bands such as The Fray and 303. The Arts Building also houses many of MSU Denver's art studios, music rooms, and theater related spaces. MSU Denver's Art Studios in the building include Painting, Printmaking, Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing, Ceramics, Drawing, and a state-of-the-art Foundations Suite. Both CU Denver and MSU Denver share a large scale Sculpture studio that allows students to work in a variety of medias including woods and metal, as well as a 6500 square foot photo lab. It is connected to the West Classroom and Central Classroom buildings via the second floor.
West Classroom
Most of MSU Denver's academic departments are housed in the West Classroom building, including Criminal Justice and Criminology, Health Care Management, Human Services, Health Professions, Nursing, and Teacher Education. It is connected to the Arts Building and the Central Classroom buildings via the second floor
Central Classroom
This building houses many of MSU Denver's academic departments and classrooms
PE/Event Center
This building includes a 5,000 square foot fitness center, climbing wall, basketball courts, dance studio, racquetball/squash courts, as well as other multipurpose activity spaces. MSU Denver's Roadrunner basketball team plays here. Classes in Zumba, salsa dancing, and other physical activities are held here. The building also houses intramural and club sports.
Kenneth King Academic & Performing Arts Center
The King Center houses six performing spaces: three permanently assigned production studios, a 200-seat Recital Hall; 520-seat Concert Hall; and a 200-seat Courtyard Theatre. There are dressing rooms, green room, recording studio, music electronics lab, classroom space, box office, scene shop, paint shop, and costume shop. All spaces are fully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and a variety of spaces for exhibiting fine art. The entire facility has over dedicated to the education of the student and development of the student who wishes to go into the performance of the arts.
Auraria Library
Built in 1976, the library houses over one million volumes and makes available electronically many hundreds of thousands of additional titles. Auraria Library is the busiest academic library in the state of Colorado. Auraria Library is a member of the
Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries
The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries is an association of a number of libraries in Colorado and Wyoming.
Purpose
The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries was established in 1974. One major purpose of the Alliance is to share resources ...
. Also, the library is a federal depository library and has a sizable collection of government documents. The library's collection of Colorado state publications is also comprehensive.
Science Building
Located on Speer Boulevard between Arapahoe and Lawrence Streets, the new Auraria Science Building and renovation of the existing facility will allow for a 50-percent enrollment increase in chemistry, biology, and earth and atmospheric sciences. Chosen for Colorado’s Art in Public Places program, the building’s lobby features Psyche (the butterfly), a 14 1/2-by-10-foot sculpture by
Donald Lipski
Donald Lipski (born May 21, 1947) is an American Sculpture, sculptor best known for his installation art, installation work and large-scale Public art, public works.
Early life and education
Donald Lipski was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1947. ...
. The Auraria Science Building opened in August 2010. The building received a Downtown Denver Award from the Downtown Denver Partnership in April 2010, for bridging a physical and perceptual gap between the Auraria Campus and downtown through inviting architecture and elevated educational opportunities.
Seventh Street Building
MSU Denver has an extensive aviation-related facility known as the "Seventh Street Building" (due to its location on Seventh Street). This facility contains the "World Indoor Airport", an extensive array of flight simulators designed to train students in single-, multi- and
turboprop
A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
-engine aircraft flight.
Historic sites
Emmanuel Gallery
Emmanuel is Denver’s oldest church building, originally constructed in 1876 to serve an Episcopalian congregation. The tiny stone chapel is a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. Emmanuel was converted into a Jewish synagogue in 1903 and served as an artist’s studio from 1958 until 1973. The building was approved for listing on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1969 and currently serves Auraria as a shared art gallery for the three schools on campus.
Golda Meir
Golda Meir (; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was the prime minister of Israel, serving from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and only female head of government.
Born into a Jewish family in Kyiv, Kiev, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) ...
, a Denver landmark, serves as a museum, conference center, and the Metropolitan State University of Denver Golda Meir Center for Political Leadership.
Ninth Street Historic District
At the heart of the Auraria Campus, thirteen restored Victorian cottages and one turn-of-the century grocery store serve as a picturesque reminder of the city’s earliest days. The structures on Ninth Street Historic Park, built between 1872 and 1906, comprise the oldest restored block of residences in the city. Ninth Street Historic District houses now serve as campus offices. A self-guided walking tour at each building provides information on architecture and early residents. There is no charge for visiting the Park.
St. Cajetan's
The Spanish Colonial St. Cajetan’s Church, built in 1925, was one of three Catholic churches clustered within a six block radius in the Auraria neighborhood. St. Cajetan’s served as the focus of Auraria’s Spanish-speaking community until 1973, when construction of the Auraria Campus forced the parish to relocate. The landmark church now serves as a multi-purpose auditorium for lectures, concerts, recitals and other community events.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church
Founded in 1878 by German immigrants, St. Elizabeth’s is still an active Catholic parish. The German-Gothic edifice, was modeled after the cathedrals of Europe. Built of rusticated rhyolite (lava rock) quarried at nearby Colorado Springs, the building has a 162' spire. St. Elizabeth’s is considered one of Denver’s most beautiful church structures.
Tivoli
One of Denver’s earliest breweries, the Tivoli is a striking architectural example of the city's flamboyant past. Originally named the Colorado Brewery in 1866, Tivoli was founded by German immigrant Moritz Sigi. Subsequent owner Max Melsheimer added the prominent seven story mansard tower and the Turnhalle opera house. In 1901 brewer John Good took over operations, renaming the building Tivoli after the famous gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Tivoli was one of the most successful breweries in the Rockies, and one of the few to survive prohibition. A major flood and labor strikes forced its closure in 1969. When the Auraria Campus was built, a private developer leased the building and restored it as a specialty shopping center. In 1991, students voted to buy back the lease and renovate the building as a combination retail center and student union.
*Starz Film Center - Denver Film Society movie theater located in the Tivoli.
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Denver Film Festival
The Denver Film Festival is held in November, primarily at the Denver Film Center/Colfax, in Denver, Colorado, now the Anna and John J. Sie FilmCenter (Sie FilmCenter). Premiere events are held in the Buell Theatre and Ellie Caulkins Opera House ...
- The festival features a diverse selection of films, ranging from independent to commercial from all over the world and is well attended by filmmakers.
Danny Boyle
Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor.
Gould's breakthrough role was in the film ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The ...
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Richard Jenkins
Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor. He is well known for his portrayal of deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series ''Six Feet Under (TV series), Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005). He began his c ...
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Allan King
Allan Winton King, (February 6, 1930 – June 15, 2009), was a Canadian film director.
Life
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, during the Great Depression, King attended Henry Hudson Elementary School, in Kitsilano.George Kuchar
* Philip Baker Hall
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Ed Harris
Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in '' Apollo 13'' (1995), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), '' Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Awa ...
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' while studying at Denison University. H ...
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Ang Lee
Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...
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Claude Lelouch
Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained critical ...
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Anthony Minghella
Anthony Minghella (6 January 195418 March 2008) was a British film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He was chairman of the board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007. He directed ''Truly, Madly, Deeply (film), ...
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Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film '' The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and Jacob Singer in '' Jacob's Ladder'' (1990), as well as winning an Academy ...
Michael Eric Dyson
Michael Eric Dyson (born October 23, 1958) is an American academic, author, Baptist minister, and radio host. He is a professor in the College of Arts and Science and in the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University. Described by Michael A. Fletche ...
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Pam Grier
Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and martial artist. Described by Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star, she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action, blaxploitati ...
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...
* Cleo Parker Robinson
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Joseph Simmons
Joseph Ward Simmons (born November 14, 1964), better known by the stage name Run, Rev. Run or DJ Run, is an American rapper, producer, DJ, and television personality. Simmons is one of the founding members of the influential Hip-hop, hip hop g ...
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Ruth Westheimer
Karola Ruth Westheimer (née Siegel; June 4, 1928 – July 12, 2024), better known as Dr. Ruth, was a German and American sex therapist and talk show host.
Westheimer was born in Germany to a Jewish family. As the Nazis came to power, her paren ...
Politics
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Michael Bennet
Michael Farrand Bennet (born November 28, 1964) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Colorado, a seat he has held sinc ...
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George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Anita Chisholm ( ; ; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional dist ...
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Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
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John Edwards
Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented North Carolina in the United States Senate from 1999 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the vice presidential nominee under ...
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
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Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; ; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician and dictator who has been the president of Nicaragua, co-president of Nicaragua since 18 February 2025, alongside his wife Rosario Murillo. He was the 54th an ...
Rand Paul
Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011.
A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
Cornel West
Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, theologian, political activist, politician, social critic, and public intellectual. West was an independent candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election and is an ou ...
See also
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Metropolitan State University of Denver
Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver or Metro State) is a public university in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is located on the Auraria Campus, along with the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver ...
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University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is a Public university, public research university located in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is part of the University of Colorado system. Established in 1912 as an extension of the University of C ...