Denver’s architectural treasures are often overlooked, but the city posses some wonderful old buildings worth remembering.
In the late 19th Century, Denver was among the handful of cities that used cable cars and a means of public transportation. After growing to nearly thirty miles of cable rail routes, the last cable car ran in 1900. The Denver City Cable Railway Building at 18th Street and Lawrence Street in Denver, Colorado opened in 1889 and it was originally built to house power and maintenance facilities.
Denver City Cable Rail (David P Goode)
The Romanesque Revival building features numerous arches throughout the two-story facade, including the soaring two-story main entry on 18th Street. Intricate brickwork and corbels reflect the craftsmanship of the era, adding to the building’s charm and character.
The roof structure consists of cast iron columns and a variation of a Vierendeel truss (although Vierendeel invented the truss in 1896). The bottom chords of the trusses are reinforced by cast iron struts and tie-rods, taking up significant tension forces.
Denver City Cable Rail (David P Goode)
The building now houses a restaurant and office space and the current owner has proposed to construct a hotel tower on site, keeping the existing, historic facade in place. The brick smokestack chimney, which stands prominently over the building, will be left in place or relocated in whole to respect its historic significance.
The Denver City Cable Railway building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
