Location
Boulder, Colorado

Client
Boulder Academy

Scope of Work
Entitlements, Landscape Architecture

Project Status
Complete

the academy

Originally Saint Gertrude’s Academy, named after Mother Mary Gertrude president of the Iowa nuns, was a refuge for those who suffered from Tuberculosis and needed a high, dry climate to rest and recuperate—the recommended treatment at the time. After 77 years, the Academy was closed in 1969 due to the cost of probative capital improvements and personnel shortages. In 1984, St. Gertrude Academy became a city landmark and in 1994 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

After being sold to developers, the building was renovated into an assisted living facility that embraced the history of the location and upheld its landmark designations. The Academy was reborn and today is a boutique retirement community, named the Academy, in honor of its storied past. The front yard landscape of the Academy pays homage to the historic architecture with two symmetrical reflective fountains that lend meditative sound attenuation and engraved pavers along the adjacent pathway with the name of every resident who has lived in the facility. Additional landscape and hardscape improvements created accessible pathways for wheelchairs, food to table gardens, trellis seating areas, and flexible spaces for outdoor performances, events, and extra visitor parking.