Insurance Exchange Building
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Denver Gas and Electric Company (Insurance Exchange Building)
1910, Harry W. J. Edbrooke. 910 15th St. (at Champa St.) (NR)
With 13,000 outlets for light bulbs in the terracotta skin, this is the brightest survivor of the “City of Lights” era, when Denver prided itself on the decorative illumination of its downtown. In this case the illumination was an attempt to brighten the dark public image of a monopoly that rigged elections to maintain its exclusive franchise. Arched tenth-story windows form an arcade beneath the flared cornice. A 1990 restoration uncovered the original entrance and relit the dazzling geometric light display. Harry W. J. Edbrooke, the son of Willoughby, began his architectural career in the Denver office of his uncle Frank.
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