| Skyline of Denver | |
|---|---|
Downtown Denver in 2026 | |
| Tallest building | Republic Plaza (1984) |
| Tallest building height | 714 ft (217.6 m) |
| First 150 m+ building | 555 17th Street (1978) |
| Number of tall buildings (2026) | |
| Taller than 100 m (328 ft) | 41 |
| Taller than 150 m (492 ft) | 8 |
| Taller than 200 m (656 ft) | 3 |
| Number of tall buildings — feet | |
| Taller than 300 ft (91.4 m) | 49 |

Denver is the capital and largest city of the U.S state of Colorado, with a metropolitan area population of 3 million. Denver is home to more than 300 high-rise buildings,[1] 49 of which have a height greater than 300 feet (91 meters) as of 2026. Denver has one of the largest skylines in the Mountain states, with the second greatest number of skyscrapers taller than 492 ft (150 m) after Las Vegas, having eight such buildings. Since 1984, the tallest building in the city is Republic Plaza, a 714-foot (218 m) office skyscraper. It is the tallest building in Colorado. The second-tallest building, 1801 California Street, is 709 ft (216 m) tall, only five feet shorter than Republic Plaza.
The history of skyscrapers in Denver began with the completion of the Equitable Building in 1892; this building, rising 143 feet (44 m) and nine floors, was the first high-rise in Denver.[2] The 20-story Daniels & Fisher Tower became the tallest building between the Mississippi River and the state of California when it was built in 1910. At 325 ft (99 m), it surpassed the tip of the Colorado State Capitol,[3] which was completed less than a decade earlier in 1901.[4] A few more high-rises were built in Denver during the Roaring Twenties, including the AT&T Building in 1929, before the Great Depression put skyscraper development on hold until the 1950s. The city's skyline grew to greater heights during the 1960s and 1970s; oil and gas companies occupied office space in downtown skyscrapers due to proximity to the mountains and the energy fields contained within.
Denver's skyline would see its greatest period of growth in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as the 1970s energy crisis led to a surge in oil and gas prices.[5] From 1974 to 1984, the title of Denver's tallest building changed hands five times. All three of Denver's buildings taller than 650 ft (198 m) were completed between 1982 and 1984: Republic Plaza, 1801 California Street, and Wells Fargo Center, popularly called the "Cash Register Building" for the shape of its roof.[6] Energy prices declined in the 1980s oil glut, abruptly halting Denver's skyscraper boom as vacancy rates increased and the city's population declined.[7][8] High-rise construction resumed in the 2000s, with major projects such as Four Seasons Hotel Denver and 1144 Fifteenth, the city's fourth and fifth-tallest buildings, while the downtown skyline is expanding northwards towards the Ballpark and RiNo districts.
Most of the city's tallest buildings are located in Downtown Denver. Skyscrapers in downtown are mainly oriented in the area's diagonal grid–with the exception of buildings in North Capitol Hill–as opposed to the rest of the city. There is a smaller and much shorter concentration of residential towers in Cherry Creek, southeast of downtown, and even smaller clusters in Speer and east of Cheesman Park. The Denver Technological Center has several commercial high-rises that are shared between the city and Greenwood Village, a municipality in the metropolitan area. However, the tallest building in the Denver MSA outside of Denver itself is the Rocky Mountain Tower in Glendale, which is 325 ft (99 m) tall.[9]
History

The history of skyscrapers in Denver began with the completion of the Equitable Building in 1892; this building, rising 143 feet (44 m) and nine floors, was the first high-rise in Denver.[2] The title of the city's "first skyscraper" is usually given to the Daniels & Fisher Tower, which rises 325 feet (99 m) and was completed in 1910.[10][11] The city went through a large building boom that lasted from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s. During this time, 21 of the city's 27 tallest buildings were constructed, including Republic Plaza, 1801 California Street, and the Wells Fargo Center. The city is the site of eight skyscrapers over 492 feet (150 m) in height, including two which rank among the tallest in the United States. Overall, the skyline of Denver is ranked (based upon existing and under construction buildings over 492 feet (150 m) tall) second in the Mountain States (after Las Vegas) and seventeenth in the United States.[A]
The tallest building recently completed in Denver is the Four Seasons Hotel and Tower, which rises 45 stories and 641 feet (195 m).[12] It now stands as the fourth-tallest building in Denver as well as the city's tallest residential tower. The 1144 Fifteenth office tower rises just over 600 feet at over 40 stories making it the fifth-tallest building in Denver upon completion early 2018. As of the mid-2020s, Denver has been experiencing a high rise residential building boom for shorter towers with several large projects having been built or under construction throughout the city, mainly concentrated in the Downtown Denver, Golden Triangle and River North (RiNo) neighborhoods.
Cityscape

Map of tallest buildings
The map below shows the location of buildings taller than 300 feet (91 m) in Downtown Denver. Each marker is numbered by the building's height rank, and colored by the decade of its completion. Of the buildings taller than 300 feet (91 m) in Denver, three are not visible on the map: the Country Club Twin Towers in Country Club, and The Pinnacle at City Park South Tower, immediately south of City Park.
- 1950s and before
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s
- 1990s
- 2000s
- 2010s
- 2020s
Tallest buildings
This lists ranks buildings in Denver that stand at least 300 feet (91 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed. Buildings tied in height are sorted by year of completion with earlier buildings ranked first, and then alphabetically.
Tallest under construction or proposed
Under construction
The following table includes buildings under construction in Denver that are planned to be at least 300 ft (91 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the expected year of completion. Buildings that are on hold are not included.
| Name | Height ft (m) |
Floors | Year | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upton Residences South Tower | 400 (121.9) | 38 | 2026 | Residential | Also known as 18th & Glenarm. Will be home to around 275 residential units. South Tower is located on the same site as its shorter 32-story sister tower. Both are being constructed simultaneously and will ultimately be connected via shared parking & amenities spaces.[73][74] |
| Upton Residences North Tower | 350 (106.7) | 32 | 2026 | Residential | Also known as 18th & Glenarm. North Tower is located on the same site as its taller 38-story sister tower. Both are being constructed simultaneously and will ultimately be connected via shared parking & amenities spaces.[73][74] |
Timeline of tallest buildings

| Name | Image | Street address | Years as tallest | Height ft (m) |
Floors | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equitable Building | 730 17th Street | 1892–1910 | 148 (45) | 9 | [2] | |
| Daniels & Fisher Tower | 1601 Arapahoe Street | 1910–1957 | 325 (99) | 20 | [75] | |
| 621 17th Street | 621 17th Street | 1957–1968 | 384 (117) | 28 | [40] | |
| Brooks Tower | 1020 15th Street | 1968–1974 | 420 (130) | 42 | [76] | |
| First Interstate Tower North | 633 17th Street | 1974–1978 | 434 (132) | 32 | [29] | |
| 555 17th Street | 555 17th Street | 1978–1981 | 507 (155) | 40 | [77] | |
| MCI Plaza | 707 17th Street | 1981–1982 | 522 (159) | 42 | [78] | |
| 1801 California Street | 1801 California Street | 1982–1984 | 709 (216) | 53 | [15] | |
| Republic Plaza | 330 17th Street | 1984–present | 714 (218) | 56 | [79] |
See also
References
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- "Equitable Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
- "Colorado State Capitol - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- "Welcome to the Colorado State Capitol | Colorado General Assembly". leg.colorado.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- "Business: Denver's Mile-High Energy Boom". August 3, 1979.
- Pinnow, Jon (July 18, 2022). "The Cash Register Building". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
- "Looking back at '87 troubles - Denver Business Journal". www.bizjournals.com. September 29, 1997. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
- "Denver's Changing Economy: A Five Minute History - Denver Institute For Faith & Work". www.denverinstitute.org. May 12, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
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- "1999 Broadway - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
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- "555 17th Street - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- "Hyatt Regency Denver - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- "Spire, Denver - SkyscraperPage.com". skyscraperpage.com.
- "Block 162 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
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- "First Interstate Tower North". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2007. Retrieved December 25, 2007.
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- "1900 Lawrence is Set to Break Ground".
- "1900 Lawrence". The Skyscraper Center. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
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- "The Quincy". GE Johnson. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
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External links
- Specific
- Diagram of Denver skyscrapers on SkyscraperPage
- DenverInfill Blog
- Six Fifty 17, Denver
39°44′21″N 104°59′06″W / 39.7392°N 104.9850°W / 39.7392; -104.9850 (Denver)
