Entry No. 108 — the Denver file — filed under: haunted
Tower of Memories
Drive past Crown Hill Cemetery on Wadsworth and you'll see a 158-foot Gothic tower most people assume is off-limits — it isn't. The Tower of Memories is a working 1920s mausoleum holding roughly 11,000 crypts and cremation niches behind marble walls and red stained glass, and during the day you can walk right into floors 1-3. Catch the elevator on a good day and it'll run you up to the 4th-6th floors, where the balconies open onto a sweeping view of the Denver skyline and the foothills almost nobody realizes is up there. It took decades and several architects to finish — interrupted by a firm's collapse and World War II.
The story
Drive down Wadsworth Boulevard and you'll catch sight of a 158-foot granite slab rising out of Wheat Ridge like a piece of monumental sci-fi architecture. Most commuters pass it off as an off-limits monument, but you didn't hear it from us: it's an active 1920s mausoleum holding roughly 11,000 souls behind thick marble walls, and the front doors are open. Kansas City architect Charles A. Smith originally broke ground in 1929 with a $1 million budget and elaborate Gothic Revival blueprints. But when his firm collapsed a year later, the builders couldn't just tear it down or abandon the site—deceased residents had already been entombed inside.
To salvage the half-built shell, prominent Denver architects Fisher & Fisher were brought in to rework the plans. They stripped away the ornate Gothic filigree in favor of stark, sleek Modernist granite lines. World War II then froze construction again due to acute material and labor shortages, leaving the tower windows uninstalled for years. Architect John Monroe finally completed the structure in the 1950s, creating a rare hybrid that eventually landed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Step through the heavy entrance doors and you're wrapped in cold air and echoing marble corridors containing some 6,000 crypts and 5,000 cremation niches. A 75-seat chapel on the lower level glows under the deep crimson light of red stained-glass windows. If you happen to visit when the elevator is running past the third floor, catch a ride up to the sixth-floor balconies—a secret open-air vantage point yielding sweeping views of downtown Denver and the Front Range foothills almost nobody knows is up there.
What it's like
Turn into Crown Hill Cemetery off 29th Avenue and Wadsworth, then follow the wide central esplanade up to the parking lot right at the tower's base. Inside, the atmosphere is cold, utterly quiet, and heavily reflective, with your footsteps echoing down long corridors lined in marble. Floors 1 through 3 are freely open to walk daily until roughly 4:00 PM, but hitting the upper balconies on floors 4 through 6 is a game of chance depending on whether the elevator is operating that afternoon. Because this is a working mortuary and active cemetery, keep your voice low, dress decently, and yield space to any memorial services or funeral processions in progress.
The move: Wander the marble corridors and the chapel with its red stained glass, then try your luck with the elevator to the upper balconies for a quiet, slightly eerie skyline view — a low-key, unusual afternoon for two who like history and the macabre. Go respectfully; it's an active cemetery.
📍 Before you go It sits inside the working Olinger Crown Hill cemetery off 29th & Wadsworth — pull in through the main gate and follow the long esplanade up to the tower, where there's a parking lot right at its base. Come on a clear weekday afternoon: it's quieter, and the upper-balcony elevator runs only intermittently, so a bright day maximizes your odds of those skyline-and-foothills views (access shifts seasonally — check ahead). This is an active cemetery and mortuary, so dress decently and steer clear of any services in progress. Pair it with Crown Hill Park & Wildlife Preserve right next door — a free open space with a flat lake loop and winter bald-eagle sightings.
- 📍 Wheat Ridge
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: Tower of Memories, Crown Hill Cemetery, 7777 W 29th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 (entrance near 29th Ave & Wadsworth Blvd; mortuary/Dignity Memorial on-site)
Hours: Generally open to the public daily until ~4pm; floors 1-3 regularly accessible, floors 4-6 (balcony views) only when the elevator is running them. Active cemetery — visit quietly and respectfully.
Pair it with
- RitualCravt — Pair a quiet walk through marble crypts with a stop 1.3 miles away at this coven-run folk magic shop and apothecary stocked with oddities and herbs.
- Chain Reaction Records — Drive five minutes down the road after your visit to dig through deep racks of punk and metal vinyl curated by local scene veterans.
- The Electric Cure — Head two miles east to Edgewater for tropical rum drinks in a self-styled demonic tiki bar to shake off the cemetery chill.
Good to know
Is it free to visit the Tower of Memories?
Yes, walking through the accessible public floors of the mausoleum is completely free.
What are the visitor hours?
The mausoleum is generally open to the public daily until around 4:00 PM.
How do you get up to the upper balconies and skyline views?
Floors 4 through 6 and the open-air balconies are accessible only via the building's elevator when it is running to upper levels, which happens on an unscheduled, intermittent basis.
What etiquette should visitors follow inside?
Because it is an active cemetery and mortuary, visitors should dress respectfully, speak softly, avoid filming mourners, and stay well clear of ongoing funeral services.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · denverite.com · Wikipedia · historycolorado.org
last checked: 2026-06-07