A History of Highlands Event Center: Denver’s 1927 Landmark

Highlands Event Center at 3550 Federal Boulevard is a 1927 Classical Greek Revival landmark designed by Denver architects Merrill and Burnham Hoyt for Highlands Temple Lodge #86, the Masonic organization that has owned and maintained the building for nearly a century. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, it is the largest building in the Highlands neighborhood and one of Denver’s most intact examples of civic architecture from the interwar period. The building accommodates up to 400 guests and continues to serve both its Masonic founders and the broader Denver community as an event venue.

Built	1927, by architects Merrill and Burnham Hoyt for Highlands Temple Lodge #86
NRHP listed	1995, recognized for architectural and civic significance
Architectural style	Classical Greek Revival with Art Deco interior details
Capacity	Up to 400 guests across multiple event configurations

Jump to: The Building on Federal Boulevard | The Hoyt Brothers | The Architectural Style | The Masonic Heritage | The Interior | The National Register | FAQ

Some buildings in Denver communicate their purpose through scale alone. Highlands Event Center at 3550 Federal Boulevard is one of them. Designed in 1927 and owned continuously by the same Masonic organization for which it was built, the building anchors a full city block in the Highlands neighborhood and has served as a gathering place for North Denver for nearly a century. This is the story of how it came to be, who built it, and what it has preserved.

The Largest Building on Federal Boulevard

Federal Boulevard runs north through Denver as one of the city’s primary arterials, and 3550 Federal has anchored its western edge in the Highlands neighborhood since 1927. The building occupies an entire city block, a scale that was intentional from the beginning. Highlands Temple Lodge #86 wanted a home that announced the Masonic organization’s presence in North Denver and provided the civic infrastructure a growing community required.

The Highlands neighborhood itself was one of Denver’s earliest developed communities north of the downtown core. By the time construction began on the current building in 1927, the neighborhood had established itself as a residential and civic center with a distinct identity separate from downtown Denver. Federal Boulevard was its main commercial and civic spine.

The building’s siting on a full block gives it a visual prominence that no amount of architectural ornament alone could achieve. Arriving at 3550 Federal, the scale registers first, before any individual detail. That deliberate civic presence was a statement the Lodge wanted to make in 1927, and the building has been making it ever since.

Merrill and Burnham Hoyt: Denver’s Architects

The commission for the Highlands Masonic Temple went to brothers Merrill Hoyt (1881-1933) and Burnham Hoyt (1887-1960), who had formed the Denver practice H.B. and M. Hoyt, Architects. Both brothers grew up in north Denver and graduated from North High School, giving them a personal connection to the Highlands neighborhood their building would define. Merrill received his professional training at the firm of William Fisher, Architects, a leading Denver practice of the era. Burnham pursued a more academic path, training at the Beaux Arts Institute in New York City before returning to Denver in 1919 after his service in World War I to join his brother in practice.

The firm prospered during the 1920s, a decade of civic and institutional construction across Denver. The Hoyt brothers worked across a range of historical styles, which was typical of the period: English Gothic, Spanish Baroque, Greek Revival, and Romanesque all appear in their portfolio. Their other surviving Denver buildings include the Fourth Church of Christ Scientists at 3101 West 31st Avenue and the Denver Public Library Park Hill Branch at 4705 Montview Boulevard. For the Highlands Masonic Temple, they chose the Classical Greek Revival, a style that communicated civic authority, institutional permanence, and fraternal dignity.

Classical Greek Revival: What the Style Communicates

Classical Greek Revival architecture draws on the formal vocabulary of ancient Greek civic buildings: symmetrical facades, columned exteriors, horizontal entablatures, and a monumental scale that signals public purpose. In early 20th century America, the style carried specific associations. It was the architecture of courthouses, libraries, banks, and civic institutions, buildings meant to project permanence, authority, and community investment.

For a Masonic temple, the choice was both practical and symbolic. Freemasonry has long drawn on classical and geometric imagery in its rituals and iconography. A building in the Classical Greek Revival style aligned the physical structure with the organization’s own references to ancient craft and civic virtue. The exterior proportions at 3550 Federal communicate those associations to anyone approaching from Federal Boulevard, whether or not they have any awareness of the Masonic context.

The 1927 construction date places the building in an architecturally interesting moment. The interwar period in America saw Classical Revival formalism on building exteriors paired increasingly with Art Deco decorative programs on interiors, and the Highlands Masonic Temple reflects exactly that combination. The facade reads as classical and restrained. Step inside, and the ceilings and interior details show the influence of the decorative movement reshaping American design in the late 1920s.

Highlands Temple Lodge #86 and the Masonic Heritage of North Denver

Freemasonry arrived in Colorado with the pioneers. The first Masonic gathering in what would become Colorado Territory took place at a cabin near Cherry Creek in 1858, the same year Denver was founded. The Masonic fraternity and the city grew together from the beginning, and the organization’s role in early Denver civic life extended well beyond its membership meetings.

Highlands Temple Lodge #86 is one of the earlier lodges established in Denver. Chartered in 1897, the Lodge originally met in another historic building at 3220 Federal Boulevard, a few blocks north of the current address. By the mid-1920s, the organization had outgrown that space and was planning a permanent home that could serve both the Lodge’s internal needs and the broader community. The 1927 building at 3550 Federal was the result: a structure designed from the outset as a civic institution, not merely a meeting hall.

The Masonic fraternal tradition has always combined private organizational life with a public civic role. Notable Americans who were Freemasons include Presidents George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, among the founders who shaped the civic values the organization sought to embody. In Denver, as across the United States, Masonic lodges were significant civic institutions in the late 19th and early 20th century, involved in charitable work, civic organization, and the physical infrastructure of their communities. The Highlands Masonic Temple was both an expression of and a contribution to that tradition.

Inside the Temple: What Has Survived Nearly a Century

Buildings from 1927 that retain their original interior materials are uncommon. Most undergo renovation cycles that replace original finishes, fixtures, and details as they age or as tastes change. Highlands Event Center at 3550 Federal Boulevard is a notable exception. The building has been maintained and selectively restored rather than renovated, and it retains a substantial collection of original interior elements documented in its National Register of Historic Places nomination.

Original architectural elements still in the building

1. Original chandeliers and lighting

   The building’s chandeliers are original to the 1927 construction. They contribute significantly to the quality of light in the event spaces, a quality that modern reproduction fixtures rarely match.

2. Classical Art Deco ceilings

   The interior ceilings combine the formal geometry of Classical Revival with the ornamental programs of Art Deco, reflecting the decorative vocabulary of the late 1920s. They are among the most visually distinctive features of the interior.

3. Bust of President George Washington

   George Washington was a Freemason, and the Masonic connection to the first President is a recurring theme in Masonic architecture and iconography. The bust at 3550 Federal has been part of the building since its construction.

4. Square and compass floor inlays

   The floor work includes Masonic square and compass symbols, the central emblems of Freemasonry. These details are documented in the National Register nomination and represent the building’s explicit connection to its Masonic origins.

5. Original maple ballroom floor

   The grand ballroom floor is made of maple, the same material specified when the building was constructed. The floor has been maintained and restored over the decades, and its surface reflects the care with which the building has been stewarded.

6. Original door hardware throughout

   The original door knobs and hardware remain throughout the building, a detail that speaks to both the quality of the original construction and the commitment to preservation that has governed the building’s care.

These elements collectively create the experience that distinguishes Highlands Event Center from venues built to approximate historic character. The details at 3550 Federal are original. They have been in place since 1927, maintained through nearly a century of continuous use.

The National Register of Historic Places: The 1995 Listing

In 1995, the Highlands Masonic Temple at 3550 Federal Boulevard was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the federal government’s official recognition of properties significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. The listing reflects the building’s architectural significance as one of Denver’s intact examples of Classical Greek Revival civic design, as well as its association with the Masonic fraternal tradition that contributed to the formation of early Denver.

A National Register listing has practical implications for a building’s future. Properties on the Register are eligible for federal historic preservation tax credits for qualifying rehabilitation work, and the listing signals a commitment to preservation that shapes how maintenance and renovation decisions are made. For event planners, the listing communicates something concrete: the building you are booking has been formally evaluated for its historical and architectural significance, and it has earned that recognition.

The listing also establishes what the building is not. It is not a reproduction of a historic aesthetic. It is not a modern structure designed to look old. It is a 1927 building that has been cared for across nearly 100 years of continuous use, and the details your guests will see when they arrive have been in place since the Hoyt brothers completed their design.

“A property listed in the National Register is recognized as significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture.”

National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places Program

The Highlands Masonic Temple at 3550 Federal Boulevard was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The building’s nomination form is the primary documentation source for its architectural details and organizational history, and has been used as a reference by both the Denver Architecture Foundation and local preservation advocates.

Nearly a century after Merrill and Burnham Hoyt completed their design at 3550 Federal Boulevard, the building continues to serve the purpose it was built for: bringing people together in a space whose scale and character communicate something worth gathering for. Highlands Event Center is available for weddings, corporate events, social celebrations, and private gatherings for up to 400 guests. Get in touch to schedule a tour and see the building in person.

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