Long-time attendees of Denver’s National Western Stock Show were dismayed to hear the annual show would not be taking place in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. This is only the second time in the stock show’s more than 100-year history that the event has been cancelled—the first being in 1915 during the animal health epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease. However, exciting developments are in store for the historic grounds, and more recently, the iconic Livestock Exchange Building.
Building’s history
The Livestock Exchange Building is one of the last-remaining buildings from when Denver was a little less city and a lot more regional livestock industry stomping grounds. Its placement right next to a railroad, stockyards, and meatpacking plants made it the ideal location as a hub for agricultural business and livestock trade for much of the 20th century.
The building is made up of three wings: the center, east and west wings. Most recognizable to stock show goers is the east wing, which was built in 1916 and still retains much of its original features. The middle wing was badly damaged by a fire in 2003, and has not been used since. The west wing houses the Stockyard Saloon—a fan-favorite of attendees—which is expected to stay in the building.
New beginnings
In late November, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), along with partners EXDO Development, Elevation Development Group, and National Western Center Authority purchased the building for $8.5 million from the city and county of Denver.
The building will be privately owned, while most of the grounds—now under construction as the National Western Center campus—are publicly owned.
Terry Fankhauser, executive vice president of CCA, told WLJ the plan to purchase the building has been in the process for about eight years, ever since it became known the National Western Center was going to be redeveloped.
CCA was housed in the Livestock Exchange Building for several decades, beginning in the 1940s. Fankhauser said CCA has always owned their own facility, and the membership decided moving back “home” to the Livestock Exchange Building was too good an opportunity to pass up.
The association plans to have the entire third floor of the main wing for its offices and its partners’ offices. The rest of the wing will be rented to other tenants for office space. Once the center wing is restored from the devastating fire, it will be used as a mixed-use facility for small businesses or retail space.
“It will be more of a thriving marketplace for the whole National Western facility,” Fankhauser said.
Although Stockyard Saloon will likely stay on in the west wing, Fankhauser suspects the wing will have a mixture of other businesses to utilize space more efficiently.
Fankhauser said redevelopment of the building is likely going to cost around $30-40 million, with the majority of renovations taking place in the center wing.
Currently, the main office wing is already about 60 percent leased out, and any other businesses or organizations—especially agriculture related—are encouraged to contact CCA or the National Western Authority if interested in signing a letter of intent for office space.
CCA plans to move into the building along with partner organizations CCA Agricultural Land Trust and Colorado Beef Council sometime in 2021.
“It’s our plan to take it back to its historic grandeur,” Fankhauser said. “Even the rehabilitation of office space will look very historically accurate and really be emblematic to the history of the beef industry.”
Grounds construction
The National Western Stock Show grounds have been under construction since 2018 and plan to be completed in 2024. The project is expected to cost around $765 million.
“State-of-the-art spaces will play host to concerts and festivals, farmers’ markets, sporting events, trade shows and conventions, as well as office space, business incubators, classes, public art, cultural events, family activities, shops and more,” said the National Western Center on its website.
In addition to the restored Livestock Exchange Building, Colorado State University will have a research campus on the grounds and the stockyards will be moved north and replaced with a livestock arena.
Eventually, the Hall of Education and Events Center will be phased out, however the historic Stadium Arena will stay put and eventually be surrounded by the new facility. The iconic water tower will be moved to a new plaza which will be the campus for indoor and outdoor concerts.
The Stockyard Event Center will be worked on through 2021,and the Equestrian Center, Livestock Center, and green space on the South Platte riverfront will be constructed through 2023.
“Thinking about introducing people to agriculture, and agriculture to metropolitan Colorado—which now more than ever is critical in the state—I envision the National Western Center being someplace special for educational opportunities for youth; as an incubator for agriculture businesses; and centers that work on specific topical areas—such as water resources,” Fankhauser said. — Anna Miller, WLJ editor
