Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church

Buena Vista, 1880

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 22, 2025

1. Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church Marker

Inscription.
St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church was located at West Main and Gunnison streets, across from The Princeton Hotel, which was built in 1893. The hotel survived two fires and was rebuilt each time. The third fire, which was in 1936-37, destroyed the hotel, and it was torn down.

The historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church was one of the first wood frame churches built in Buena Vista. Construction on the church began in 1879 and was completed in 1880.

The Buena Vista area was settled in the 1860s and the town incorporated in 1879. The building served as the Catholic church for 90 years until 1968 when it was scheduled to be demolished in advance of a new building. Local historians saved the building, donating it to the town of Buena Vista, and moved it to its present location in Forest Square Park in 1969. The church was placed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties in 1999. It served as the Buena Vista Area Chamber of Commerce from 1978 to 2021.

[photo captions]
• The Princeton Hotel
• St. Rose of Limo 1898
• The church being moved to Forest Square Park, 1969

Erected by Town of Buena Vista, Colorado.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.

Location. 38° 50.314′ N, 106° 7.846′ W. Marker is in Buena Vista, Colorado, in Chaffee County. It is at the intersection of U.S. 24 and Mill Street, on the left when traveling south on U.S. 24. The marker and historic church building are near the southwest corner of Forest Square Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 343 US Highway 24, Buena Vista CO 81211, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley,

in the Colorado High Rockies and on the Continental Divide.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Grace Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Town Hall (approx. ¼ mile away); Historic Vistas (approx. ¼ mile away); Putting Down Roots (approx. ¼ mile

Marker detail: St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 1947 image. Click for more information.

2. Marker detail: St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 1947

Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce Historic Structure Assessment:
Click for more information.

away); Mountain Getaways (approx. ¼ mile away); William Joseph Walsh (approx. ¼ mile away); World War I Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Buena Vista and the “South Park” Railroad Line (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Buena Vista.

Regarding Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church. Colorado Register of Historic Properties Site № 5CF.176. Today the building houses the Shining Mountains Montessori School.

Also see . . .
1. St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church (History Colorado).

Excerpt: Colorado Register of Historic Properties Site № 5CF.176. Constructed in 1880, the simple wood frame building is a good example of the Carpenter Gothic style. In 1969, it was moved to its present location in order to save it from demolition.

(Submitted on February 10, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church (Society of Architectural Historians).

(by Thomas J. Noel) Excerpt: Built in an effort to civilize a raunchy railroad town, this clapboard Carpenter's Gothic church retains a shamrock cross on its open bell tower. Parishioner
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 22, 2025

3. Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church Marker
Looking northeast from US Highway 24. The historic church building is in the background.
James Mahon hauled lumber donated by Thomas Starr's Poncha Springs Mill, and priest and parishioners constructed their church. A symmetrical plan, nice detail, generous landscaping, and good maintenance make this a gold star example of white frame country churches. On the eve of the church's demolition in the 1970s, a savior arose in the form of a church member and preservationist who arranged to move the church to Forest Square Park for use as a visitors' center.

(Submitted on February 11, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church<br>(<i>northwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 22, 2025

4. Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church
(northwest elevation)

Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church<br>(<i>west/front elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 22, 2025

5. Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church
(west/front elevation)

Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church (<i>southwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 22, 2025

6. Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church (southwest elevation)

Today the building houses the Shining Mountains Montessori School.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 90 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 10, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.