Equitable Building (Denver)

Equitable Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
Location	730 17th St., Denver, Colorado
Coordinates	39°44′47″N 104°59′28″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1892
Architect	Andrews, Jaques & Rantoul
Architectural style	Renaissance, Other
NRHP reference No.	78000845
CSRHP No.	5DV.121
Added to NRHP	January 9, 1978

The Equitable Building is a historic commercial office building located at 730 17th Street in Denver, Colorado.

Description and history

Standing at a height of 125 feet with 9 stories, the steel-framed office tower became the tallest building in the city upon its completion in 1892, and retained that title until 1911, when it was surpassed by the Daniels & Fisher Tower. It is an excellent example of the Italian Renaissance Revival architecture of its day, with its numerous sets of arched windows and the ornately carved granite that define its appearance.

The building, designed by Jaques and Rantoul Andrews and built during the Denver building boom of the early 1890s, was highly cutting edge for its time in its utilization of many recent technological advances, and its self-sufficient infrastructure. As is mentioned in its NRHP designation, "To this day, the artesian well in the basement still runs the elevators, of which there are eight. All the rooms had radiators; most had water closets and hot and cold water, and many also had gas fireplaces." The construction costs of the building amounted to $1,500,000.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 9, 1978.

External links

• Barlow, Kathleen. "Equitable Building". Engel & Reiman pc. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
• "Equitable Building Timeline" (PDF). Colorado Optometric Association. Retrieved March 19, 2015.