Look ahead and just a little bit up-see that tall, slender tower rising out of the city with the pointed roof and a big clock on each side? That's the Daniels & Fisher Tower! It almost looks like something out of a storybook, or maybe like it belongs in the middle of a magical Italian city. If you spot a cream-colored, ornate tower with a golden dome on top, congratulations, you found it!
Now, as you stand in front of the Daniels & Fisher Tower, imagine you’ve just stepped back to 1910. Denver didn’t have any buildings taller than this one-at 325 feet, this was the skyscraper that made people stop and stare. People used to gasp and say, “That tower must scrape the sky!” Don’t worry, it’s totally safe-no clouds harmed in the making. Designed to look a bit like the famous bell tower in Venice, Italy, the Daniels & Fisher Tower carries a slice of Europe right into Denver’s heart.
Take a look up at the clock faces-a clock on every side, so nobody ever had an excuse for being late. Inside, there are 20 floors, and right at the very top is a 2½ ton bell. That’s massive-just imagine what it sounds like when it rings! Gives you goosebumps, doesn’t it?
Here’s a twist: Even though the original department store it was built for is long gone, the tower was saved and brought back to life in the 1980s. Today, the basement buzzes with laughter and applause at the Clocktower Cabaret, and the tower stands tall as an official historic landmark.
Standing here, it's easy to picture Denver folks a hundred years ago craning their necks in amazement. And hey, if you feel like showing off your knowledge, you can tell anyone nearby, “This was once the tallest thing between the mighty Mississippi and California!” Not a bad claim to fame for a clock tower, don’t you think?
