Special thanks: Stephen Handen, Mesa House, 420 Mesa Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80905. 

 

The Bijou Community Columbarium was established in 1993 by Mesa House Inc. and others who advocate for the homeless and other disadvantaged people. It contains the ashes of about 20 people: homeless and those who provided service to them; one has a marker.

 

The columbarium was created in the backyard of 411 W. Bijou, Colorado Springs, a house formerly owned by Ithaka Land Inc. A rock wall partially framed the area and a stone contemplative bench was nearby. The columbarium was removed by 20 October 2022 and the property was sold the next day. 

 

The columbarium's above-ground material and cremains were saved by the property's owner and were moved by Mesa House to Evergreen Cemetery in December 2022. The Bijou Community Columbarium is on a crescent-shaped piece of land just inside the main gate at Evergeen Cemetery, Colorado Springs.   

 

Every year a winter-solstice event called The Longest Night remembers the homeless who have died in Colorado Springs in the previous year. The ashes of some are buried here.