June 29, 1918. Its cost exceeded $3 million. The Broadmoor attracted numerous visitors. Targeting Midwesterners, Penrose placed advertisements in notable publications and invited celebrities to pose for photos and provide testimonials to the opulence of the Broadmoor. The accompanying golf course also attracted wealthy visitors from across the country. Philanthropy and legacy Spencer and Julie Penrose were philanthropists, giving strong financial support to major civic projects in Colorado Springs. Their legacy projects include the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Pikes Peak Highway, and the Glockner-Penrose Hospital (now Penrose-St. Francis Health Services). They founded El Pomar Foundation on December 17, 1937. With a mission “to enhance, encourage, and promote the future and current well-being of the people of Colorado,” El Pomar Foundation continues as a grantmaking organization. From an initial combined gift of $21 million, the assets of the Foundation now exceed $600 million. Its grants have yielded more than $1.2 billion in results for the state of Colorado. El Pomar also operates community stewardship programs, including: Awards for Excellence, Regional Partnerships, and a two-year Fellowship for young leaders. The Foundation also operates two properties of the Penrose family: The Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, where the Penroses are entombed; and the Penrose Heritage Museum, which showcases the Penroses' collection of carriages, as well as artifacts from their travels. Penrose died in 1939, two years after founding El Pomar Foundation. He was survived by Julie, who served as President of the Foundation until her death in 1956. In 2001, Penrose was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. References Sources "El Pomar". (n.d.), foundation website Noel, T. J., & Norman, C. M. (2002). Pikes Peak Partnership: The Penroses and the Tutts. University Press of Colorado. External links Penrose Heritage Museum 1865 births 1939 deaths Businesspeople from Colorado Springs, Colorado American philanthropists Harvard University alumni American people of Cornish descent American hoteliers Episcopal Academy alumni