The Kittredge Building was built in 1891 by Charles Marble Kittredge and his father Cornelias Van Ness Kittredge. A. Morris Stuckert was retained to design the seven story skyscraper, which was to be Denver's tallest and first modern office building.

The building's design, which embodied steel beams, iron columns, and a granite and rhyolite facade, also included such newfangled accouterments as electricity, steam heat, fireproofing and elevators.

Originally conceived as an office-retail complex, the Kittredge Building boasted as its first tenants a mixture of physicians, architects, insurance companies and attorneys. Those not as fortunate to work in such prestigious surroundings could still enjoy the panoramic mountain views offered while dining at the building's Casino Roof Garden. Added in 1891 the same year the Kittredge Building itself was completed, the rooftop beer garden and amusement park, with seating for over 300 people, soon gained a reputation as an entertainment gathering place. Five years later, the building served as the YMCA headquarters where the first basketball games were played in Denver under the direction of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the sport.

It is questionable which possesses a more colorful history-the Kittredge Building or its founder, whose contributions to the state have also been remembered by a town named in his honor. The now renovated Kittredge Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is preserving a rich part of Colorado's history.