Entry No. 71 — the Denver file — filed under: public-art
Laughing Escalator
Ride the escalator down from the exhibit-hall level at the Colorado Convention Center and you'll start hearing laughter bubbling up through the cracks between the steps — a different voice every eight feet. It's a hidden 4-channel sound piece artist Jim Green slipped in back in 2004, a 'call and response' volley of giggles bouncing between speakers under your feet. There's no plaque, no fanfare; people either don't notice or assume they're imagining it. Green passed in 2024, but his sneaky little joke keeps running.
The story
In 2004, when Denver expanded its Colorado Convention Center, local sound artist Jim Green slipped a $60,450 secret right into the building's mechanical gut. He wired a four-channel sound system directly beneath the steps of the escalator descending into the 14th Street lobby pre-function area. Instead of hanging a brass plaque or demanding a ribbon cutting, Green concealed speakers inside the machinery and programmed recorded laughs to pass back and forth between them. As you glide down, a different recorded giggle, chuckle, or belly laugh leaks out from the millimeter-wide cracks between the moving treads every six to eight feet.
Green made a career out of sneaking audio pranks into public infrastructure—he was the same mind behind the chime jingles on the Denver International Airport train and the sound-emitting grates on Curtis Street. The catch with the escalator is its directionality: the audio loop only triggers as you travel downward toward the ballroom level. Step onto the ascending escalator right next to it, and you get ordinary mechanical hum. Because there is no signage anywhere in the lobby, thousands of convention delegates ride past it unawares every week, while those who do hear it often look around in confusion, wondering if they are hallucinating giggles beneath their shoes. Green passed away in 2024 at age 75, but his subterranean audio prank keeps playing on loop.
What it's like
Head into the Colorado Convention Center near 14th Street, pass the giant blue bear statue peering through the window outside, and locate the down escalator heading toward the ballroom and exhibit-hall pre-function space. Your experience hinges on the convention schedule: if a massive trade show is in session, the roar of thousands of badge-wearers will easily drown out the speakers beneath the steps. Aim for a quiet weekday afternoon when the building is unlocked but empty. Stand still on the ride down and keep quiet—as the steps level out, you'll hear clear, distinct chuckles volleying between the metal treads. If you want to hear it again, remember that riding back up produces nothing; you have to take the stairs or elevator back up to ride the downward track a second time.
The move: Time a visit when the Convention Center is open and quiet, ride the escalator down, and see whose face cracks first as the laughter creeps up through the steps.
📍 Before you go This is hidden inside the Colorado Convention Center near the 14th Street lobby — ride the escalator down toward the ballroom and exhibit-hall level, since the laughter only plays as you descend. There's no plaque or signage, so know what you're hunting for. It's audible only when the building is open to the public, which depends entirely on the event calendar; quiet weekdays between conventions are your best bet for actually hearing it over crowd noise — call ahead, as access shifts with the schedule. Pair it with the giant blue bear ("I See What You Mean") peering into the same building, and you're steps from the 16th Street Mall and the Performing Arts Complex.
- 📍 Downtown Denver (Colorado Convention Center)
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St, Denver, CO 80202 (escalator from the exhibit-hall level; no signage)
Hours: Accessible only when the Convention Center is open to the public (varies by event schedule); no posted hours, free.
Pair it with
- Understudy — Since you are already inside the Colorado Convention Center, walk over to this experimental art wedge tucked into a 700-square-foot footprint under a stairwell.
- Trybal African Speakeasy — Keep the un-signposted Downtown hunt going three blocks away by solving an online question to gain entry behind an African mask door.
- Ninth Street Historic Park — Walk four blocks west across Cherry Creek to trade the modern convention halls for an intact block of 1870s Victorian homes preserved on a commuter campus.
Good to know
Where in the building is the escalator located?
It is inside the Colorado Convention Center near the 14th Street lobby, specifically the downward escalator carrying visitors from the exhibit-hall level into the ballroom pre-function area.
How much does it cost to visit?
It is completely free to enter the convention center lobby and ride the escalator.
Why doesn't the sound play when going up?
Artist Jim Green wired the four-channel sound system to trigger exclusively when the escalator is moving in the downward direction.
Who created the installation and when?
It was created by Denver sound artist Jim Green in 2004 as a commissioned piece for the city's public art program.
When is the best time to visit?
Visit on quiet weekday afternoons when the convention center is open to the public but not hosting a noisy, high-volume event.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: denverconvention.com · denverpublicart.org · Westword · 9news.com
last checked: 2026-06-07