Historic Homes of Denver: Historic Homes and Buildings - The Denver Telephone Building
great post Kerry. I love this building. It really stands out in Downtown. I love this building because it reminds me of many of the buildings build in my native NYC in the same time frame (late 20's and early 30's). Great detail in your post as well...bloggers could learn a lot from your writing style.
The Denver Telephone Building at 931 14th St in downtown Denver is one of those iconic buildings that many US cities have, but not at all like the ones that they build today. The Denver Telephone Building was designed by Denver Architect William Bowman and built in 1929. It was the headquarters for Mountain Bell in the 7 state Rocky Mountain region until 1984.
In terms of architecture, the Denver Telephone Building is an example of the Modern American Perpendicular Gothic style. The construction of the the Denver Telephone Building has steel framework, and a terracotta exterior with recessed spandrels and Gothic ornamentation. The recessing was designed in accordance with Denver's zoning laws in 1929, dealing with buildings higher than 12 story's. Intricate craftsmanship and substantial detail went into the building of the Denver Telephone Building, including ornate arches, decorative panels, large piers and mottling. Being the center of the telephone industry in the region, emblems and designs associated with the history of telecommunications are incorporated throughout the interior and exterior of the building.
Artist Allen True utilized color combinations that he believed would have a positive psychological effect on Denver Telephone Building employees. True designed 13 murals with telephony themes throughout the public areas of the Denver Telephone Building. Other Allen True murals can be seen in the Brown Palace, Denver's Civic Center Park and the Colorado National Bank Building. In the 1980's, the telephone company had the murals restored to their original 1920 splendor. Present day Qwest has recently had the murals cleaned and they can be seen online.A modern innovation of the Denver Telephone Building was that was due to the nature of the telephone equipment used in the structure, it was designed with a fireproof core starting in the basement and continuing up to the roof.
The Denver Telephone Building was entered into the National Registry of Historic Places in January of 2005.
If You have any questions about the Historic Homes of Denver or any Metro Denver area Real Estate...Please contact me at Kerry@kerryklun.com or 303.549.0818. Visit us on the web at www.HistoricHomesofDenver.com
Posted By: Kerry Klun - Historic Homes of Denver - 303-549-0818
www.historichomesofdenver.comkerry@kerryklun.com
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