The California company that owns 821 17th St. in downtown has branded the historic nine-story edifice as The Vault. But old hands know it as the Denver National Bank — one of six standing bank and financial buildings that a century ago anchored the “Wall Street of the Rockies.”
This fall, that landmark captures a moment in time as Upper Downtown straddles a decidedly uncertain future. Downtown office vacancies have dipped slightly to around 38%, giving faint hope of a market recovery, while some newer competing spaces have been picked up for pennies on the dollar, headed for residential conversion.
The Vault perfectly mirrors that vacancy issue: It sits 100% empty…