Plans are underway for reconverting into residential space one of the largest office properties in downtown Denver.
Located at 621 and 633 17th Street, the offices are made up of two separate tower structures, comprising 973,000 square feet, one built in 1957 and the other in 1974.
Los Angeles developer and investor Asher Luzzato has purchased the structures for $3.2 million with a goal of building around 700 apartments in them. The ground level of the structures will be designated as retail space.
Published reports indicate that that project could carry with it a price tag of up to $200 million.
The New York-based architecture firm HLW has been brought in for the design of the big project.
Luzzato is the president of the Luzzato Company which specializes in acquisitions and multi-family, office, and retail development. He has placed an emphasis on transforming existing office buildings into mixed-use properties.
Sitting on a nearly 2-acre site in what is the city’s the Central Business District, the part of the property that was built in 1957 was originally known as the First National Bank Building. At the time of its completion, it was viewed, at 28 floors, as one of the first modern skyscrapers in the Mile High City.
The second structure at 633 17th, has 32 floors and was for several years in the 1970s the tallest building in Denver. Luzzato is hoping that support for the reconversion project may come in part through the Downtown Denver Authority, which is tasked with providing funding for residential reconversion projects, among other things.
April 8, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Vintage post card of First National Bank
