Chipotle Will Move Headquarters to Forty-Story Skyscraper Downtown

Have you seen that luminous new skyscraper poking up from the cityscape at 15th and Lawrence streets? The one that looks just a little bit like a giant glass toaster on top? The building is called 1144 Fifteenth, and construction is still being completed, but one of its first tenants will be homegrown burrito chain Chipotle, which is housing its corporate headquarters there.

The company will make the move from its current headquarters at 1401 Wynkoop and 1515 Wynkoop in late 2018, giving its 450 or so corporate employees 126,000 square feet on five floors of the forty-story edifice designed by architectural firm Pickard Chilton. (We're hoping at least one full floor will be dedicated to queso recipe development.)

Founder Steve Ells announced at the end of last month that he'll be stepping down as CEO of Chipotle as soon a new leader can be found, so he may or may not get the best corner office in the new building, but he'll continue to be in the house as executive chairman of the board. No matter which office he gets, it's a long way from bumping his head on the basement rafters of the first Chipotle at 1644 East Evans Avenue, which opened in 1993.

“Our roots are here, and this contemporary, collaborative and modern space will position us to look ahead to the next 25 years,” Ells said in a statement.

While the move won't make much difference to the average Chipotle customer, it will consolidate the corporate digs, which are currently divided between the two Wynkoop Street locations.

Did we say that that new skyscraper looks like a toaster? Scratch that: The resemblance is clearly closer to a towering foil-wrapped burrito.