| 707 17th Street | |
|---|---|
| MCI Plaza.jpg | |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Office, Hotel[1] |
| Location | 707 17th Street, Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Coordinates | |
| Opening | 1981[1] |
| Height | |
| Roof | 522 ft (159 m)[2] |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 42[1] |
| Floor area | 522,071 square feet (48,502 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | MCI Inc., Marriott International, Inc.[2] |
| Architect | Metz, Train & Youngren[2] |
| Developer | Crescent Real Estate Equities Company[2] |
707 17th Street, formerly known as the MCI Building and Arco Tower, is a skyscraper in Denver, Colorado. The building was completed in 1981, and rises 42 floors and 522 feet (159 m) in height.[2] The building stands as the sixth-tallest building in Denver as of 2010. It also stood as the tallest building in the city at the time of its 1981 completion, and held that distinction for two years until it was surpassed by the 709-foot (216 m) 1801 California Street in 1983.[3]
707 17th Street was known as MCI Plaza until 2005; MCI Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 2002, and the company was subsequently acquired by Verizon Communications on February 14, 2005.[4] Prior to its bankruptcy, MCI occupied the uppermost commercial floors of 707 17th Street, and served as the structure's primary tenant.[5] However, even before MCI's acquirement, 707 17th Street stood partially vanant, and was nearing a 50% vacancy rate in 2002.[5] This ended on September 30, 2002, when architectural, engineering and construction management firm Carter & Burgess signed a deal to lease 86,000 square feet (8,000 m2) of office space.[5] This deal was one of largest office transactions in Denver in 2006.[5]
While the upper 22 floors of the building contain office space, the lowest 20 floors of 707 17th Street contain the Denver Marriott City Center, which contains 613 guest rooms and suites.[2][6] As the building consists of both commercial and hotel space, it is classified as a mixed use skyscraper;[1] it is the tallest such building in Denver.[7]
707 17th Street has a somewhat unique "setfront" design, rather than the usual setback found in other Denver skyscrapers such as 1801 California Street.[6] The building bulges out and becomes wider at its 15th floor, and this widening is described as a "setfront".[6] The narrower region at the bottom of the building is home to the Marriott hotel, whereas the upper, wider floors contain most of the commercial space.[6] The building's façade is composed of black glass, and it is an example of international-style "black box" architecture.[1]
| Preceded by 555 17th Street |
Tallest Building in Denver 1981—1983 159m |
Succeeded by 1801 California Street |