Colorado Springs Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Colorado Springs

The local Government is housed in the New City Hall. The older City Hall now is a Pioneer’s Museum. The building was constructed in 1904 by Thomas MacLaren and was made of granite and brick in Classical Revival style. The building of the City Hall appeared along with post office and former Courthouse on the territory that was ones donated by Stratton, a famous developer of the gold strike who bought the land from General William Palmer, the founder of the Colorado Spring city and the most popular mountain resort near the city.

Acacia Park, the city's first park, is located at Bijou and Tejon Streets, adjacent to the Palmer High School. The park is enjoyed by high school students at lunchtime and in the summer children enjoy the Uncle Wilber Fountain. Visitors also include people who work downtown, shoppers and other visitors. The park has a band shell.

St. Mary’s Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral located in Colorado Springs. It is the seat of the Diocese of Colorado Springs and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Pease and Barber designed the present church in the Gothic Revival style. The lower level of the church was completed in 1891 and the upper church was completed seven years later. The church was dedicated on December 19, 1998. The bell towers on the front of the church were added in 1902 and the spires were completed in 1907. A major redecorating project took place from 1902-1904 when the Gothic arched ceilings, six side-aisle windows and electric lights were added. A new pipe organ was placed in the church in 1916. The clerestory and apse windows were added during a renovation project from 1923-1924. The rose window on the main façade was given its current configuration in 1930.

Blessed John Paul II established the Diocese of Colorado Springs on November 10, 1983. St. Mary’s was chosen to be the cathedral of the new diocese. Bishop Richard Hanifen was installed as the diocese’s first bishop on January 30, 1984.

Major Henry McAllister was an important figure in the establishment of Colorado Springs. In 1961 the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Colorado, in cooperation with the El Pomar Foundation and Shepard’s Citations, bought McAllister's home and transformed it into a museum. This small Victorian-era cottage is decorated inside with period furniture and decor. There is even a children's room full of dolls and toys from the 1800s. The museum has a gift shop where you can buy books, jewelry, postcards, and other memorabilia.

Grace and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is a church in Colorado Springs and was founded in 1872. The current building complex was built in several stages. The original building on the site was completed in 1895 and serves as parish hall today. The tower building, which is a copy of Magdalen College at Oxford University, England, was designed by architects Frohman, Robb and Little, who also designed St. Thomas Church in New York City and of Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C. The building was completed in 1926.

The American Numismatic Association was founded in 1891 by Dr. George F. Heath in Chicago, Illinois. The ANA was formed to advance the knowledge of numismatics along educational, historical and scientific lines, as well as enhance interest in the hobby. The ANA national headquarters and museum is located in Colorado Springs.

It claims a membership of over 32,000. In 1912 the association received a Federal Charter by the United States Congress for its work in the field of numismatics. The association's official monthly journal is the Numismatist and its editor-in-chief is Barbara J. Gregory. Many articles are contributed by members of the Association.

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (FAC) is an arts center located just north of downtown Colorado Springs. It was founded in 1936 by Alice Bemis Taylor, Elizabeth Sage Hare, and Julie Penrose, with the intention of creating a center for a museum, art school and performing arts venue for the growing city. The building was designed by New Mexico architect John Gaw Meem who combined Pueblo Revival Style and Art Deco style in many of his designs, but not in this one. In 1940, Meem's design earned a Silver Medal at the Fifth Quadrennial Pan American Congress of Architecture. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The murals on the exterior of the building were produced by Boardman Robinson and Eric Bransby.