FRANCES WISEBART JACOBS WAS A QUEEN. SHE MANIFESTED ALL THESE RICHES WE NOW ENJOY.

Frances Wisebart Jacobs (1843-1892) was part of a group of Jewish individuals who organized Temple Emanuel, Denver’s first synagogue. This group and Congregation Emanuel are responsible for the construction of 2400 Curtis Street in 1882. Today, this congregation lives at 51 Grape Street. Wisebart Jacobs was a powerful, philanthropic force and went on to found the organizations that are known today as Mile High United Way and National Jewish Hospital.

THE TEMPLE HAS BURNED A LOT.

Image from The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), November 6, 1897.

The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 43, Number 48, February 17, 1902

The drawings above are from two fires that partially destroyed the Temple building. At the time of the 1897 fire, the building was home to Temple Emanuel, Denver’s first (and now oldest) synagogue, which was known for its unique architecture. Temple Emanuel as a congregation exists today at 51 Grape Street.

In 1898, the building was sold to Beth HaMedrosh Hagodol, who reconstructed it. Unfortunately, the building again burned in 1902, and the dramatic newspaper article, depicted above, described the misfortune. The headline read, “Firemen Dragged from the Jaws of Death.” The 1902 fire was discovered by a janitor and seems to have started behind the furnace. In both the 1897 and 1902 fires, the roof caved in. When the building was purchased by Adam Gordon in 2014, it also had a hole in the roof. Maybe someone inside just wants to see the sky.

AND ITS ALWAYS BEEN SPICY.

Among the many activities that have taken place at the Temple, creative expression has always dominated. In the latter part of the 20th century, Funhouse and the GoG were music venues and genuinely weird spaces. Local bands, Black Flag, and Nirvana moved through the building during this period, and the cops sometimes broke up shows, making me nostalgic for a time that seems more authentic but probably wasn’t. In addition to making a mark on impressionable youth, these venues left behind a chaotic mess of graffiti, exemplifying Denver’s youth culture during that time.

CREEPY DOLL ART HAS SOMETIMES HAPPENED.

These are photos of post-apocalyptic sculptures made by someone who worked in the building…maybe lived there too, I don’t know. I’ve heard so many stories lately about the Temple’s oddities, they’ve become one mega-weirdo who probably lives in the walls or something. The mannequin in the middle still exists, creating nighttime terrors on the Temple’s 3rd floor, near the tower where the fires happened. If you visit Stuart Sachs’ studio near there, you’ll see that this tradition lives on.

BUT GENE + SHERI = PURE MAGICK

Gene was a retired merchant marine who engaged in many heroic and humanitarian activities during his lifetime. Sheri was a well-known feminist science fiction writer, and beginning in 1962, was Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood. She remained there for 25 years. After living in Denver, the couple re-located to a magical compound in New Mexico and hosted artists there until the end of their earthly incarnations. I’m sure Sheri still fights for women’s rights in the ether while Gene seems like he’s fighting for the right to wear that moustache for eternity.