Hundreds of people gathered in front of the National Western Stock Show’s battered, old Livestock Center to catch a glimpse of the show’s future. That future started with recognizing the show’s history with the unveiling of plans for the Legacy Building
“This building will serve as a home to all members of the National Western Family,” said Pete Coors, chairman of the National Western Stock Show’s (NWSS’) $100 million Honoring the Legacy campaign to rebuild the National Western Complex, at the unveiling on Dec. 12.
He described the planned Legacy Building as potentially “a bit grand.”
As designed, it will be four stories tall, totaling over 100,000 square feet. The building will also house the National Western’s art collection and historic archives, include a new National Western Club with seating for up to 700, and an 8,000-square foot exhibit area.
The Legacy Building will be located where the current Livestock Center sits. It will be one of four major new facilities the Western Stock Show Association is building in the coming decade, including a new Livestock Center to which it will connect.
“This is going to be a watering hole, a gallery space, and a place to do business for friends, cowboys and art lovers alike,” said Paul Andrews, the NWSS’s president and CEO.
“The new National Western Center is a landmark project—a testament to thriving West, and truly a once-in-a-century opportunity to reshape, energize, and celebrate our western values and our heritage.”
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock also spoke at the unveiling, describing the planned renovation of the National Western Complex as “solidifying the future of the legacy of the National Western Stock Show” for the coming century.
“We will compete with the world here at the National Western Center to lead, inspire, create, and entertain in pursuit of new ideas and possibilities.”
Naming of the yards
The design of the Legacy Building was not the only announcement made at the unveiling.
“When you’re running a $100 million-dollar campaign, you know you’re going to need someone to step up and be the first to do something really extraordinary,” commented Coors. Andrews explained that Ron and Cille Williams stepped forward “in a big way.”
“We are pleased to announce that they have made a gift of $10 million,” he said, only to be drowned out by applause. “Their gift will forever name the yards the ‘Ron and Cille Williams Yards.’”
Ron Williams was the 2016 Colorado Business Hall of Fame inductee and a vice-chair of the Honoring the Legacy campaign. He has been involved with NWSS most of his life.
“My friends and I used to skip school for the Stock Show,” Williams said. “I haven’t missed one since—and it’s been more than 50 years now. I view this as an investment to keep the Stock Show a rewarding destination for another 50 years or longer.”
According to the NWSS, plans for the new yards include a multi-use hard surface that can be used for concerts, events, festivals, or parking for 2,700 vehicles. It will include two 1,000-seat arenas, elevated walkways including the historic catwalk, and a 3.8-acre plaza for outdoor displays, vendor booths, and exhibits. The current fixed pens will be replaced with infrastructure for removeable fencing for nearly 800 pens.
Cille Williams said of their donation: “We’re both passionate about Western heritage, traditions and culture, and couldn’t be more excited about what the new National Western Center embodies for Denver, the region and beyond.” — Kerry Halladay, WLJ editor
