Time Stands Still Inside the Denver Clock Tower

Downtown Denver’s skyline, largely built in the ’70s and early ’80s, isn’t the most eye-popping bunch of buildings. But hidden among the massive cardboard boxes is a proud local landmark at 1601 Arapahoe Street, one that stood above the rest of the city for decades.

The Daniels & Fisher Tower — also known as the D&F Tower or, among residents, simply “the Clock Tower” — was Denver’s first skyscraper, standing anywhere from 375 to 393 feet upon completion in 1911, depending on whom you ask. That was high enough to be billed as the tallest building west of the Mississippi at the time, and it was definitely the tallest building in the Mile High City until 1957. The building also houses a 5,500-pound bell, installed shortly after construction, which operates under the same mechanics as London’s Big Ben.

The clock tower was designed by architect Frederick Sterner, who was also behind famous Colorado builds like the Denver Athletic Club and the Minnequa Steel Works Office Building and Dispensary in Pueblo. For Denver’s clock tower, Sterner reportedly modeled his designs after the Campanile di San Marco bell tower at Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy.

Daniels & Fisher opened a department store when the building first opened, but the clock tower’s occupants and commercial functions have changed several times over its 124-year history, which we documented in detail in this 2024 Westword feature.

Today, the clock tower is home to a burlesque and live entertainment venue at the bottom, with office and private event spaces occupying the majority of the building. You can book self-guided tours of the tower for $10 (children five-and-under get in free), allowing you access to the top floors, behind the ten-foot clock you see from the street and its fascinating mechanics, as well as entry to observation decks on the 17th and 21st floors.

On December 29, Jay Hanna of Jeeves Drones was permitted access to the tower and time to fly his drone high above 16th Street for photos, providing a current look inside and outside of one of Denver’s most iconic buildings. From spiral staircases and lounge areas with stunning views of downtown Denver to a look under the massive bell, Hanna’s photos show how timeless the giant timepiece really is.