555 17th Street
Encyclopedia
555 17th Street, formerly known as the Anaconda Tower and the Qwest Tower, is a skyscraper
in Denver
, Colorado
. The building was completed in 1978, and rises 40 floors and 507 feet (155 m) in height. The building stands as the seventh-tallest building in Denver and Colorado. It also stood as the tallest building in the city at the time of its 1978 completion, and held that distinction for three years until it was surpassed by the 709 feet (216 m) 707 17th Street
in 1981.
555 17th Street was built as the "Anaconda
Tower", a name it was given for its distinctive reflective and textured black glass façade
. The building became the world headquarters
of Qwest
in 1997, at which point it was adorned with two large Qwest signs. The building served as Qwest's headquarters until 2000, when the corporation
moved to 1801 California Street
, the second-tallest building in Denver situated two blocks away. Although Qwest moved its headquarters in 2000, the two brightly lit blue signs on 555 17th Street remained in place for four more years. Qwest finally removed the logo
s in 2004, but prior to that the signs were left dark for several months.
555 17th Street is composed entirely of Class A office space, containing features such as a tenants' restaurant, private club, and conference center. The building is home to the offices of big-four accounting firm Deloitte & Touche
. Holland & Hart
, a major law firm, has its headquarters in 555 17th Street. The building's largest tenant is still Qwest, although the structure no longer bears the company's insignia.
555 17th Street has been installed with several environmentally "green" features, including a 600-ton flat plate heat exchanger and electronic ballast lighting technology. The building's management company, Mile High Properties, estimates that the upgraded features have generated savings of US$
$1,835,000 in five years. Due to its green features, 555 17th Street has been designated a "Labeled Building" by Energy Star
and the United States Environmental Protection Agency
.
JWT - Third floor
Clarity Media Group - Seventh floor
Examiner.com
- Fourth floor
Parsons Brinckerhoff
- Fourth, Fifth and Sixth floors
Hyatt Denver Convention Center - Eighth floor
RSM McGladrey Inc. and McGladrey & Pullen LLP - Tenth floor
Anschutz Corporation - Twenty-fourth floor
Monticello Associates - Twenty-sixth floor
Holland & Hart LLP - Law Firm - Thirty-second floor
Colorado Rapids Soccer - Thirty-third floor
Ernst & Young LLP - Thirty-third floor
Deloitte & Touche LLP - thirty-third, thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth floors
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The building was completed in 1978, and rises 40 floors and 507 feet (155 m) in height. The building stands as the seventh-tallest building in Denver and Colorado. It also stood as the tallest building in the city at the time of its 1978 completion, and held that distinction for three years until it was surpassed by the 709 feet (216 m) 707 17th Street
707 17th Street
707 17th Street, formerly known as the MCI Building and Arco Tower, is a skyscraper in Denver, Colorado. The building was completed in 1981, and rises 42 floors and in height. The building stands as the sixth-tallest building in Denver as of 2010...
in 1981.
555 17th Street was built as the "Anaconda
Anaconda
An anaconda is a large, non-venomous snake found in tropical South America. Although the name actually applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to refer only to one species in particular, the common or green anaconda, Eunectes murinus, which is one of the largest snakes in the world.Anaconda...
Tower", a name it was given for its distinctive reflective and textured black glass façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. The building became the world headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
of Qwest
Qwest
Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a large United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.On April...
in 1997, at which point it was adorned with two large Qwest signs. The building served as Qwest's headquarters until 2000, when the corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
moved to 1801 California Street
1801 California Street
1801 California Street, also known as Qwest Tower, is a skyscraper in Denver, Colorado. The building was completed in 1983, and rises 52 floors and in height...
, the second-tallest building in Denver situated two blocks away. Although Qwest moved its headquarters in 2000, the two brightly lit blue signs on 555 17th Street remained in place for four more years. Qwest finally removed the logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
s in 2004, but prior to that the signs were left dark for several months.
555 17th Street is composed entirely of Class A office space, containing features such as a tenants' restaurant, private club, and conference center. The building is home to the offices of big-four accounting firm Deloitte & Touche
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited , commonly referred to as Deloitte, is one of the Big Four accountancy firms along with PricewaterhouseCoopers , Ernst & Young, and KPMG....
. Holland & Hart
Holland & Hart
Since its inception in 1947, Holland & Hart has grown into a firm of more than 400 lawyers in 15 United States offices in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and the District of Columbia...
, a major law firm, has its headquarters in 555 17th Street. The building's largest tenant is still Qwest, although the structure no longer bears the company's insignia.
555 17th Street has been installed with several environmentally "green" features, including a 600-ton flat plate heat exchanger and electronic ballast lighting technology. The building's management company, Mile High Properties, estimates that the upgraded features have generated savings of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$1,835,000 in five years. Due to its green features, 555 17th Street has been designated a "Labeled Building" by Energy Star
Energy Star
Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...
and the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
.
Tenants
Ogilvy PR Worldwide - Third floorJWT - Third floor
Clarity Media Group - Seventh floor
Examiner.com
Examiner.com
Examiner.com is a media company based in Denver, Colorado, that operates a network of local news websites, allowing "pro–am contributors" to share their city-based knowledge on a blog-like platform, in 238 markets throughout the United States and parts of Canada with two national editions, one for...
- Fourth floor
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Parsons Brinckerhoff is a professional services firm with 14,000 employees in 150 offices providing construction and operation management, planning, design, engineering, program management, strategic consulting, environmental and sustainability services for clients and communities in the Americas,...
- Fourth, Fifth and Sixth floors
Hyatt Denver Convention Center - Eighth floor
RSM McGladrey Inc. and McGladrey & Pullen LLP - Tenth floor
Anschutz Corporation - Twenty-fourth floor
Monticello Associates - Twenty-sixth floor
Holland & Hart LLP - Law Firm - Thirty-second floor
Colorado Rapids Soccer - Thirty-third floor
Ernst & Young LLP - Thirty-third floor
Deloitte & Touche LLP - thirty-third, thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth floors