diff --git a/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/BUILD b/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/BUILD
index a03d9274fa8a..1fbe3f12f500 100644
--- a/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/BUILD
+++ b/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/BUILD
@@ -4,47 +4,10 @@
 load("//tools:cpplint.bzl", "cpplint")
 load(
     "//tools:drake.bzl",
-    "drake_cc_binary",
     "drake_cc_library",
     "drake_cc_googletest",
 )
 
-drake_cc_library(
-    name = "simple_tree_visualizer",
-    srcs = ["simple_tree_visualizer.cc"],
-    hdrs = ["simple_tree_visualizer.h"],
-    visibility = ["//drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm:__subpackages__"],
-    deps = [
-        "//drake/common",
-        "//drake/lcm",
-        "//drake/lcmtypes:viewer",
-        "//drake/multibody/rigid_body_plant:create_load_robot_message",
-        "//drake/multibody/rigid_body_plant:drake_visualizer",
-        "//drake/systems/framework",
-        "//drake/systems/rendering:drake_visualizer_client",
-    ],
-)
-
-drake_cc_binary(
-    name = "simple_tree_visualizer_demo",
-    srcs = ["simple_tree_visualizer_demo.cc"],
-    add_test_rule = 1,
-    data = [
-        "//drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm:models",
-        "//drake/manipulation/models/iiwa_description:models",
-    ],
-    test_rule_args = ["--num_configurations=1"],
-    deps = [
-        ":simple_tree_visualizer",
-        "//drake/common",
-        "//drake/common:find_resource",
-        "//drake/lcm",
-        "//drake/multibody/parsers",
-        "//drake/systems/framework",
-        "@com_github_gflags_gflags//:gflags",
-    ],
-)
-
 drake_cc_library(
     name = "moving_average_filter",
     srcs = ["moving_average_filter.cc"],
diff --git a/drake/manipulation/util/BUILD b/drake/manipulation/util/BUILD
index 73d8fbd6ee7a..75c224b0baf5 100644
--- a/drake/manipulation/util/BUILD
+++ b/drake/manipulation/util/BUILD
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 load("//tools:cpplint.bzl", "cpplint")
 load(
     "//tools:drake.bzl",
+    "drake_cc_binary",
     "drake_cc_googletest",
     "drake_cc_library",
 )
@@ -22,6 +23,21 @@ drake_cc_library(
     ],
 )
 
+drake_cc_library(
+    name = "simple_tree_visualizer",
+    srcs = ["simple_tree_visualizer.cc"],
+    hdrs = ["simple_tree_visualizer.h"],
+    deps = [
+        "//drake/common",
+        "//drake/lcm",
+        "//drake/lcmtypes:viewer",
+        "//drake/multibody/rigid_body_plant:create_load_robot_message",
+        "//drake/multibody/rigid_body_plant:drake_visualizer",
+        "//drake/systems/framework",
+        "//drake/systems/rendering:drake_visualizer_client",
+    ],
+)
+
 drake_cc_library(
     name = "trajectory_utils",
     srcs = [
@@ -36,6 +52,25 @@ drake_cc_library(
     ],
 )
 
+drake_cc_binary(
+    name = "simple_tree_visualizer_demo",
+    srcs = ["simple_tree_visualizer_demo.cc"],
+    add_test_rule = 1,
+    data = [
+        "//drake/manipulation/models/iiwa_description:models",
+    ],
+    test_rule_args = ["--num_configurations=1"],
+    deps = [
+        ":simple_tree_visualizer",
+        "//drake/common",
+        "//drake/common:find_resource",
+        "//drake/lcm",
+        "//drake/multibody/parsers",
+        "//drake/systems/framework",
+        "@com_github_gflags_gflags//:gflags",
+    ],
+)
+
 # === test/ ===
 
 drake_cc_googletest(
diff --git a/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer.cc b/drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer.cc
similarity index 77%
rename from drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer.cc
rename to drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer.cc
index 1f50251518b5..993f6245a18a 100644
--- a/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer.cc
+++ b/drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer.cc
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#include "drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer.h"
+#include "drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer.h"
 
 #include <vector>
 
@@ -13,13 +13,14 @@
 #include "drake/systems/framework/basic_vector.h"
 
 namespace drake {
-namespace examples {
-namespace kuka_iiwa_arm {
-namespace tools {
+namespace manipulation {
+
 SimpleTreeVisualizer::SimpleTreeVisualizer(const RigidBodyTreed& tree,
                                            lcm::DrakeLcmInterface* lcm)
-    : tree_(tree), state_dimension_(tree_.get_num_positions() +
-    tree_.get_num_velocities()), draw_message_translator_(tree_), lcm_(lcm) {
+    : tree_(tree),
+      state_dimension_(tree_.get_num_positions() + tree_.get_num_velocities()),
+      draw_message_translator_(tree_),
+      lcm_(lcm) {
   // Loads the robot.
   const lcmt_viewer_load_robot load_message(
       multibody::CreateLoadRobotMessage<double>(tree_));
@@ -42,15 +43,13 @@ void SimpleTreeVisualizer::visualize(const VectorX<double>& position_vector) {
   state_vector.SetFromVector(state);
 
   std::vector<uint8_t> message_bytes;
-  draw_message_translator_.Serialize(0 /* context get time */, state_vector,
-                                     &message_bytes);
+  constexpr double kTime = 0;
+  draw_message_translator_.Serialize(kTime, state_vector, &message_bytes);
 
   // Publishes onto the specified LCM channel.
   lcm_->Publish("DRAKE_VIEWER_DRAW", message_bytes.data(),
                 message_bytes.size());
 }
 
-}  // namespace tools
-}  // namespace kuka_iiwa_arm
-}  // namespace examples
+}  // namespace manipulation
 }  // namespace drake
diff --git a/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer.h b/drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer.h
similarity index 88%
rename from drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer.h
rename to drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer.h
index 00db37309ba6..8985537f34c4 100644
--- a/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer.h
+++ b/drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer.h
@@ -4,15 +4,15 @@
 #include "drake/multibody/rigid_body_plant/viewer_draw_translator.h"
 
 namespace drake {
-namespace examples {
-namespace kuka_iiwa_arm {
-namespace tools {
+namespace manipulation {
+
 /**
- * A utility to render a `RigidBodyTree` in a specified configuration in the
- * `drake-visualizer` app.
+ * A utility to render a `RigidBodyTree` in a specified configuration.
  */
 class SimpleTreeVisualizer {
  public:
+  DRAKE_NO_COPY_NO_MOVE_NO_ASSIGN(SimpleTreeVisualizer)
+
   /**
    * Constructs the `SimpleTreeVisualizer` and publishes a
    * DRAKE_VIEWER_LOAD_ROBOT message. Note that the drake-visualizer must be
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ class SimpleTreeVisualizer {
    */
   SimpleTreeVisualizer(const RigidBodyTreed& tree, lcm::DrakeLcmInterface* lcm);
 
-  DRAKE_NO_COPY_NO_MOVE_NO_ASSIGN(SimpleTreeVisualizer)
   /**
    * Visualizes a given state position configuration.
    * @param position_vector : A `VectorX` with the positions that are
@@ -41,7 +40,5 @@ class SimpleTreeVisualizer {
   lcm::DrakeLcmInterface* lcm_{nullptr};
 };
 
-}  // namespace tools
-}  // namespace kuka_iiwa_arm
-}  // namespace examples
+}  // namespace manipulation
 }  // namespace drake
diff --git a/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer_demo.cc b/drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer_demo.cc
similarity index 86%
rename from drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer_demo.cc
rename to drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer_demo.cc
index 9728196fd075..5da251ed86d2 100644
--- a/drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer_demo.cc
+++ b/drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer_demo.cc
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /**
  * @file test demo to visualize a given tree in a random set of configurations.
  */
-#include "drake/examples/kuka_iiwa_arm/dev/tools/simple_tree_visualizer.h"
+#include "drake/manipulation/util/simple_tree_visualizer.h"
 
 #include <chrono>
 #include <thread>
@@ -18,9 +18,7 @@ DEFINE_int32(num_configurations, 10,
              "Number of random test configurations to display in the demo");
 
 namespace drake {
-namespace examples {
-namespace kuka_iiwa_arm {
-namespace tools {
+namespace manipulation {
 namespace {
 
 int DoMain() {
@@ -57,12 +55,10 @@ int DoMain() {
 }
 
 }  // namespace
-}  // namespace tools
-}  // namespace kuka_iiwa_arm
-}  // namespace examples
+}  // namespace manipulation
 }  // namespace drake
 
 int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
   gflags::ParseCommandLineFlags(&argc, &argv, true);
-  return drake::examples::kuka_iiwa_arm::tools::DoMain();
+  return drake::manipulation::DoMain();
 }