Colorado National Bank Building facts for kids
The Colorado National Bank Building is a really old and important building in Downtown Denver. It was designed by famous Denver architects William E. and Arthur A. Fisher and finished in 1915. You can find it at 918 17th Street, right where 17th and Champa Streets meet. Because it's so special, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 27, 2010. This means it's officially recognized as a historic landmark!
A Bank's Story
The story of this building starts with a bank called Kountze Brothers Bank. In 1862, a man named Luther Kountze decided to open a branch of his successful bank from Omaha, Nebraska, right here in Denver. Two years later, his brother Charles Kountze joined him.
- A Super Heavy Safe: This early bank was famous for its huge 1,800-pound safe! It was so heavy that it took twelve oxen (that's a lot of cows!) thirty-five days to pull it all the way from Omaha to Denver.
In 1866, Luther and Charles changed their bank's name to the Colorado National Bank. Luther was the first president, and Charles took over in 1874. Over the years, the Colorado National Bank grew bigger by joining with other banks, like Bank Western and Central Banks. Before moving into the building we know today, the bank had two other homes.
In 1998, another bank called US Bank bought the Colorado National Bank. US Bank stayed in the building until 2007. When it was bought, Colorado National Bank was one of the very last banks in Colorado that was still owned locally.
Building Design
In 1915, the Colorado National Bank had a cool slogan: "a bank that looks like a bank." The building was designed to do exactly that! It has a classic style called neoclassical, which means it looks grand and important, like old Greek or Roman buildings.
- Wall Street of the West: A special plaque on the building says it showed what the "Wall Street of the West" was all about. It's made of white marble with tall columns and a huge archway. This design made people feel like the bank was strong and safe, perfect for attracting big investors.
The bank's bronze vault and its door were incredibly heavy, weighing 73,000 pounds! The walls around the vault were also super thick, about three-and-a-half inches. Inside the vaults, the doors alone weighed 62,000 pounds. That's like the weight of a small tank!
Modern Makeover
After US Bank left in 2007, the Colorado National Bank building was empty for a while. Then, in 2009, a company called Stonebridge Companies bought it. They started working on it in 2011 to turn it into a fancy hotel with 230 rooms.
- Big Project: The whole project cost $48 million! The hotel opened in May 2014 and is now known as the Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel.
The building was originally four stories tall. But it got taller over time! It was expanded in 1925, again in the 1960s, and one more time during the 2011-2014 renovation. Now, it stands eight stories high.
During the renovation, Stonebridge Companies turned the ground floor into a restaurant and lounge. They also kept three of the original bank vaults, along with their huge 62,000-pound doors! These old vaults were made into cool private meeting rooms.
Indian Memories Murals
As part of the renovation, 16 amazing murals on the ground floor were carefully cleaned and fixed. These murals were painted by Allen Tupper True, one of Colorado's most famous artists.
- Stories on Walls: Painted between 1923 and 1925, these murals are called the "Indian Memories" series. They include five sets of three paintings (called triptychs) that show different parts of Native American life: Youth, The Buffalo Hunt, War, Girlhood Beckoning, and The Bead Worker. There's also a big single mural called Happy Hunting Ground. The pictures show everyday scenes, including women and children.
