Main Building
Cragmor was ready to take on more patients and needed a centerpiece for their health resort. By the end of 1912, Dr. Forster had received enough donations from grateful patients to construct the main building. Thomas MacLaren, and his original Sun Palace design were ignored and instead Forster brought in an architect by the name of George Edward Barton to design the building. His design was called the Maltese cross.
Construction was scheduled to begin in 1913, but before ground was broken, Barton's health declined and he passed away. It was decided anyways that Barton's design was just too costly, so MacLaren was brought back into the picture. Cragmor Palace II was born, but in 1914 the bids for the new building were so low they immediately extended the intended length of the building. The plan sounded great! But for some reason, it just faded away.
In the end, a three-story structure of Spanish design that cost $80,000 was built. It was completed in October of 1914 and increased the patient capacity to sixty. Since there was no extra money to incorporate the extravagant rooms, reception hall or tennis courts, MacLaren added an elegant touch of his own: the only roof garden in Colorado Springs.
In August of 1919 a new three-story addition southwest of the main building was approved for another $80,000, but ground was never broken. In February of 1920, however, construction of a fourth floor to the main building began instead which increased patient capacity to 105.
There were many other additions to the main building that helped improve the patient’s livelihood. These additions include a library, a barber shop and beauty salon, a post office, combination grocery and drug store and its own school.
