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  • Three framed artworks on a shelf with a textured gray wall background, featuring abstract and natural designs in varying frame sizes.

Historic Landmarks in Downtown Denver

Wall Street of the West

Part and parcel of the bustling 17th-Street corridor, once called the “Wall Street of the West,” The Magnolia Denver, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel and 17th by Magnolia grace not one but two of downtown Denver’s historic landmarks—the First National Bank and the Guaranty Bank buildings, respectively. It was along this thoroughfare where large banks, brokerage firms and law firms first set roots in Denver from as early as the 1870s, and where it was not uncommon to see gold and bank notes trundling across Stout Street under escort of armed Pinkerton guards. Nearby, The Denver Livestock Exchange and the National Western Stock Show anchored the city’s reputation as the regional epicenter for ranching and farming.

First National Bank Building

The hotel’s main tower, the First National Bank building, earned its place in history as the first bank and the first skyscraper to locate itself on 17th Street. Its architect, Harry Edbrooke, also designed the Tabor Opera House at 16th and Curtis nearly three decades earlier, before erecting the 13-story bank building in 1911. First National continued to call the building home until 1958, when it was renovated to become the new headquarters of another early Denver bank, American National Bank and later First Interstate Bank of Denver. An ornate concrete waffle was added on top of the limestone and later removed, but is still visible on the adjacent parking garage. In 1995, after another extensive renovation and the restoration of the exterior clock, the building reopened as a hotel with ground-floor retail to anchor the block’s city-sponsored historic preservation project. Today Magnolia Hotel guests will find vestiges of this Nationally Registered Historic Place’s history on the original stone and terra cotta ornamental façade, in the lobby adorned with bank vaults, and a meeting room with yet another vault just waiting for guests to crack the code and see what’s inside.

Now Home to 17th by Magnolia

Just across the street, 17th by Magnolia is a stately event space that makes its home in the historic lobby of another former giant, Guaranty Bank. This 10-story building is covered in limestone and features its original ornamental bronze façade. The ballroom remains a modern incarnation of the building’s original resplendence, appointed with ornate moulding inside and out, a soaring cove ceiling, and monolithic columns that have adorned the space since its 1921 origins.

  • The image shows vintage illustrations of the Houston Post-Dispatch Building, featuring two different artistic renditions.

First National Bank Building

The hotel’s main tower, the First National Bank building, earned its place in history as the first bank and the first skyscraper to locate itself on 17th Street. Its architect, Harry Edbrooke, also designed the Tabor Opera House at 16th and Curtis nearly three decades earlier, before erecting the 13-story bank building in 1911. First National continued to call the building home until 1958, when it was renovated to become the new headquarters of another early Denver bank, American National Bank and later First Interstate Bank of Denver. An ornate concrete waffle was added on top of the limestone and later removed, but is still visible on the adjacent parking garage. In 1995, after another extensive renovation and the restoration of the exterior clock, the building reopened as a hotel with ground-floor retail to anchor the block’s city-sponsored historic preservation project. Today Magnolia Hotel guests will find vestiges of this Nationally Registered Historic Place’s history on the original stone and terra cotta ornamental façade, in the lobby adorned with bank vaults, and a meeting room with yet another vault just waiting for guests to crack the code and see what’s inside.

  • A cityscape at dusk featuring tall buildings, a street view, and a clear sky. The scene includes lit windows and sparse traffic.

Now Home to 17th by Magnolia

Just across the street, 17th by Magnolia is a stately event space that makes its home in the historic lobby of another former giant, Guaranty Bank. This 10-story building is covered in limestone and features its original ornamental bronze façade. The ballroom remains a modern incarnation of the building’s original resplendence, appointed with ornate moulding inside and out, a soaring cove ceiling, and monolithic columns that have adorned the space since its 1921 origins.