Daniels & Fisher Tower
Daniels and Fisher Tower | |
Daniels and Fisher Tower (foreground) in 2009 | |
| Location | 1101 16th St., Denver, Colorado |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°44′54″N 104°59′43″W / 39.74833°N 104.99528°W |
| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | F.G. Sterner |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Italian Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000040[1] |
| CSRHP No. | 5DV.118 |
| Added to NRHP | December 3, 1969 |
The Daniels & Fisher Tower is a distinctive historic landmark located in Denver, Colorado.
Description and history
Built as part of the Daniels & Fisher department store in 1910, it was the tallest building between the Mississippi River and the state of California at the time of construction, at a height of 325 feet (99 m).[2][3] The building was designed by the architect Frederick Sterner and modeled after The Campanile (St. Mark's Bell Tower) at the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy.[4][5][2][6] The 20-floor clock tower has clock faces on all four sides.
A 5,500 pound bell was installed in the top two floors of the tower on March 30, 1911, with the inscription "Presented to the Daniels & Fisher Realty company by William Cooke Daniels and Cicely Cook Daniels, 1911". The bell was manufactured by the McShane Bell company in Baltimore and was six feet in height and 5.5 feet in width. The clapper for the bell weighed 150 pounds and was connected to an electric motor, which rang the bell each hour.[7]
On June 22, 1918, Jack Williams, known as "the human fly", climbed the tower from the base to the top of the flag pole in 38 minutes.[8]
In 1929, a student nurse named Doris Heller fell from the twentieth story of the tower and landed on the seventeenth floor balcony, suffering a fractured spine and broken feet. After the accident happened, the injured woman was not found until 48 hours after it occurred.[9][10][11]
May Company purchased Daniels & Fisher in 1958, and the store vacated the tower. When the store was demolished (ca. 1971), the tower was saved and renovated into residential and office space in 1981.
The tower is located within Denver's Skyline Park and the basement level has been home to the Clocktower Cabaret entertainment venue since 2006.
The tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 3, 1969.
On August 22, 1983, the tower was climbed by Gary Neptune to raise attention and funds for Mile High United Way's 1983 fund-raising campaign.[12]
Gallery
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Entrance from 16th street
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Tower from 17th Street
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Tower viewed from 16th Street, looking north
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Original clock works
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View of Daniels & Fisher Tower from the street
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Interior view of southeast clock face
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Bell and striker
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Sconces on first floor
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View from north-west (16th Street)
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A ground view of the tower
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Daniels & Fisher Tower in Denver
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Daniels & Fisher Tower view from Curtis & 15th Street
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Daniels & Fisher Company Origin Dates to Oxcart Days". The Rocky Mountain News. March 3, 1929. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ John Misachi (April 15, 2017). "10 Unique Sites on the National Register of Historic Places: West". Retrieved December 15, 2017.
- ^ "D. and F. Tower Will Have Thousands of Lights; Will Be Pretty Sight at Night". The Rocky Mountain News. November 20, 1910. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ "Plans Tower For Employes". The Rocky Mountain News. June 22, 1910. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ Daniels & Fisher Tower - Building information, emporis.com
- ^ "Denver to Hear 5,500-Pound Bell, in Tower, Strike Today". The Rocky Mountain News. March 30, 1911. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ "Human Fly Williams Tops D. & F. Flagpole". The Rocky Mountain News. June 23, 1918. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ "Girl, Spine Fractured, Has Chance to Recover". The Rocky Mountain News. March 26, 1919. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ "Nurse Recovers From Fall Off Tower to Ledge Below". The Rocky Mountain News. July 9, 1919. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ "This True Story Needs No Frills in the Telling". Georgetown Courier. April 26, 1919. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ "Climber scales tower to kick off United Way fund-raising campaign". The Rocky Mountain News. August 23, 1983. Retrieved November 21, 2025.