Denver City Railway Building

1635 17TH STREET Architectural style: NINETEENTH-CENTURY COMMERCIAL, ROMANESQUE REVIVAL, HIGHVICTORIAN Built: 1882; RENOVATED 1892 Architects: HAROLD W. BAERRESEN ANDVIGGIO E. BAERRESEN This building is the original site of one of the transportation companies that helped to shape the city of Denver. The Denver City Railway Company constructed the first horsecar line in the city in 1871 along the 1600 block of Larimer Street. In 1882 this building was constructed as their main car barn. By the end of 1883 there were 151/2 miles of track, 45 cars, 200 horses, and 100 employees. The growth of the horsecar lines spurred the spread of the working population to the suburbs and promoted the growth of residential neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, Highlands, and Curtis Park. The first floor housed the waiting room, offices, and the storage area for the horsecars. The stables were on the second and third floors; the fourth floor was used for hay and grain storage. Six large barn doors lined the street front along 17th Street where the large windows are today. The stone-faced piers and cast-iron pilasters separating the bays remain from the original 1882 construction. By 1892 the horse-drawn cars were replaced with electric and cable car systems and the building was sold to a Mr. Sheridan, who renovated the 17th Street facade for various retail and commercial uses. In 1902 the building was purchased by Hendrie and Boltoff Manufacturing and Supply Company, one of the largest Colorado suppliers of heavy mining equipment sold throughout the United States. The company remained at this location for seventy years, using the large floor areas as showrooms, offices, storage, and manufacturing. The building’s most recent incarnation is loft-type living spaces with shops and restaurants on the ground floor.