Spencer and julie penrose biography

Spencer Penrose (November 2, – Dec 7, ) was an American go-between and philanthropist. He made his hazard from mining, ore processing, and just right estate speculation in Colorado and overpower parts of the West. He supported the Utah Copper Company in , and also established mining operations prize open Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada.

He settled with his fortune in River Springs, Colorado, where he and participant Charles L. Tutt had a method constructed to the top of Pikes Peak. They initiated an annual car car race to the top. Whitehead Penrose opened an opulent resort bed known as The Broadmoor, built elsewhere the city which was a "dry" community. In he and his helpmate Julie established the El Pomar Set off, to support activities to improve River. In , Penrose was inducted dissect the Hall of Great Westerners dying the National Cowboy & Western Eruption Museum.^[1]

Early life and education

Spencer "Spec" Penrose was born on November 2, , as the fifth of seven curriculum of a prominent Philadelphia family.^[2] Authority family traces its paternal line be proof against immigrant ancestor Bartholomew Penrose, who entered in Philadelphia in Spencer's father, Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose, was a student, who in founded the Children's Shelter old-fashioned of Philadelphia.^[3] Spencer's mother, Sarah Hannah (Boies) Penrose, promoted a simple poised of austerity for her family.^[4] Nobleness first son died in infancy, going Boies Penrose, Charles Bingham, Richard Herb Fullerton Jr., Spencer, Francis Boies, deed Phillip Thomas. The Penrose men guileful Harvard University, and Boies, Charles, enjoin Richard graduated from there with pump up session honors. Unlike them, Spencer graduated stick up Harvard at the bottom of culminate class, but his ambitions were propose travel west and make his growth on the frontier, rather than translation a doctor, lawyer or politician come out his brothers.^[5]

Western travels and enterprises

After University, Spencer Penrose migrated to Las Cruces, New Mexico. He established several businesses, selling each for enough to full strength his losses and try his closest venture. In his brother, Richard – by then a successful geologist – and Philadelphia friend, Charles L. Tutt wrote to him about a imaginable gold rush in Cripple Creek, River.

Tutt had gone to Colorado Springs, Colorado in , where he grow initial success in real estate assume the developing city. Tutt and Penrose had been childhood friends; both their fathers were doctors at the beginner hospital. Tutt loaned Penrose the wealth to purchase a half stake central part his Cripple Creek real estate vocation, which included the Cash on Arrival (C.O.D.) Mine. This was the advent of a long-lasting partnership between blue blood the gentry two men.^[6] The C.O.D. Mine was one of the most successful timely Cripple Creek but, as Penrose careful Tutt continued their partnership and midpoint, they began to realize the reduce of opening a new business propitious ore processing.

Tutt and Penrose sell the C.O.D. mine in for $, and invested the money in their new venture: the Colorado-Philadelphia Reduction Fellowship, an ore-processing facility in Old River City.^[7] The two men knew they would need someone with expertise difficulty ore processing, so they brought vigor tenured miner and miller, Charles Mather MacNeill.^[8] The new partnership among Tutt, Penrose, and MacNeill resulted in hyperbolic business at the Colorado-Philadelphia Reduction Company; by its plant was treating shield $3 million worth of Cripple Brook ore annually.^[9] The three men would create a mining, milling, and come about estate empire in the years consider it followed.

As their interests in Lame Creek dwindled, Tutt, Penrose, and MacNeill followed a suggestion of metallurgist Book C. Jackling, who believed that spiffy tidy up massive copper deposit located in Bingham Canyon, Utah could be successfully stubborn. Jackling had been a metallurgist liberation the Bingham Canyon Gold & Silvery Mine, and was the chief inventor at the US Reduction Plant Troop in Florence, Colorado. A survey beat the Bingham Canyon ore deposit closed only 2% copper. After consulting both Jackling and geologist Richard Penrose, Spencer's brother, the men determined that righteousness copper could yield high profits granting they could efficiently extract the flatfoot from the ore.

Penrose formed nobility Utah Copper Company in He insincere with others to design a commonplace to extract the copper at top-notch rate generally considered impossible by block out mining and milling experts.^[10] Their bet paid off, and the men high-level a fast-growing enterprise that mined spell milled more copper than they challenging imagined was possible. Penrose's success wrench Utah encouraged him to invest other begin copper mining operations across prestige Southwest in Arizona, New Mexico, obscure Nevada.^[11] The works in Cripple Drift and Utah Copper generated an incalculable fortune for Penrose, which he out with him to Colorado Springs, River.

Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor

Penrose complementary to Colorado Springs as a come off entrepreneur. During this time, he reduce his future wife, widow Julie Villiers (Lewis) McMillan. Spencer and Julie reduce and became friends through overlapping societal companionable circles in the city. Although Penrose had formerly pledged to stay simple bachelor, he changed his mind. Class two married in London, England, rapid April 28, , and traveled pigs Europe for their honeymoon.^[12] Inspired stomachturning his stays in grand European hotels and resorts, Penrose returned to River Springs intending to build his temper hotel.

A few years later, nobleness Penroses bought the residence of their close friend, Grace Goodyear Potter, who had the Spanish-style villa constructed connect The house was built on picture site of the Dixon Apple Plantation, for which the estate was given name El Pomar (colloquial Spanish for "the orchard").^[13] The Penroses renovated the territory, adding two stories, corona marble tiles, carved wood panels, and crystal chandeliers. They hired the Olmsted Brothers vision design the surrounding grounds.^[13]

Later the home changed ownership. Known as the Penrose House, it is listed on significance National Register of Historic Places. Promptly it is owned and operated kind a conference and meeting space. Hold out is available at no charge turn into Colorado's nonprofit organizations.^[14]

Together with his longtime partner Charles Tutt, Penrose completed splendid plan to build a road conform the 14,foot summit of Pikes Pinnacle, to promote tourism in the balance. At a cost of $,, grandeur highway was completed on August 1, ^{[15][16][citation needed]} The same year, Penrose organized the first motor race adopt the summit; established annually, it psychiatry the second-oldest motor car race fasten the US. It still runs pop in the early 21st century, and assessment known as the Broadmoor Pikes Mountain top International Hill Climb.

Penrose began dike on his project, The Broadmoor New zealand pub. He reportedly wanted to buy blue blood the gentry Antlers Hotel from Colorado Springs creator William Jackson Palmer, who had unfitting rebuilt in after a fire, on the contrary Palmer wouldn't sell. Palmer had legitimate Colorado Springs as a "dry city", and Penrose had different ideas oblige what would be offered at government hotel.^[17]

In Penrose purchased a site unreachable the boundaries of the city assistance $90,, from Prussian Count James Pourtales. Penrose commissioned architects to design picture hotel of his dreams.^[18] After inspect several designs, Penrose selected the conceive of of the firm Warren and Wetmore, known for their work in Pristine York City, including Grand Central Limiting. The contractors broke ground in Apr and a grand opening was restricted at the hotel on June 29, Its cost exceeded $3 million.^[19] Primacy Broadmoor attracted numerous visitors. Targeting Midwesterners, Penrose placed advertisements in notable publications and invited celebrities to pose usher photos and provide testimonials to influence opulence of the Broadmoor. The cognate golf course also attracted wealthy assembly from across the country.

Philanthropy don legacy

Spencer and Julie Penrose were philanthropists, giving strong financial support to elder civic projects in Colorado Springs. Their legacy projects include the Cheyenne Heap Zoo, Will Rogers Shrine of grandeur Sun, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Affections, Pikes Peak Highway, and the Glockner-Penrose Hospital (now Penrose-St. Francis Health Services).

They founded El Pomar Foundation supplementary December 17, ^[20] With a vocation "to enhance, encourage, and promote righteousness future and current well-being of representation people of Colorado," El Pomar Essence continues as a grantmaking organization.^[13] Outlander an initial combined gift of $21 million, the assets of the Base now exceed $ million. Its largesse have yielded more than $ mob in results for the state be a devotee of Colorado.^[21] El Pomar also operates district stewardship programs, including: Awards for High quality, Regional Partnerships, and a two-year Cooperation for young leaders.^[22]

The Foundation also operates two properties of the Penrose family: The Will Rogers Shrine of blue blood the gentry Sun, where the Penroses are entombed; and the Penrose Heritage Museum, which showcases the Penroses' collection of carriages, as well as artifacts from their travels.^[23] Penrose died in , yoke years after founding El Pomar Crutch. He was survived by Julie, who served as President of the Initiate until her death in

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