The National Western Stock Show is just about over. In a few weeks, the city of Denver will start tearing stuff out to make way for the redevelopment of the new grounds. The infamous stock yards will be the first to go. The 113-year-old yards are the last evidence of the old range cattle operations that ended in the late 1800s. Major packers of the day would buy their cattle out of those pens. The Denver auction yard used the pens until the 1970s to sell calves and feeder cattle. Now those pens are used two weeks a year to display registered cattle at the show, and maybe sell a few.
I’ve been going to the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) for a little over 40 years and it will be different to see all those landmarks go. But in the name of progress, it must. The city of Denver has reconstructed itself into a major metropolitan area. We have lost that “Cowtown” feel, except when it comes back for two weeks in January.
[inline_image file=”5a2fde7349cf315638dc0cc3253336f8.jpg” caption=”Artist renderings of the planned Legacy Building for the National Western Complex. The Legacy Building, as designed, will be four stories tall, totaling over 100,000 square feet. It will house the National Western’s art collection and historic archives, and include a new National Western Club with seating for up to 700.”]
The grounds are simply failing. The Coliseum and the Livestock Exchange Building in the yards are spent. The NWSS Association doesn’t really want to invest in any improvements because it would be throwing good money after bad.
At first there was a plan to move the NWSS out by Denver International Airport, which I thought was a pretty good idea. Gaylord Hotels and the NWSS were going to partner up. The Denver City Council didn’t like that idea much because of the lost revenue, and they would have to share it with several other municipalities. That idea was killed quickly.
Gaylord Hotels is building a 1,500-room hotel near the airport and I thought relocation of the NWSS was a great idea. We would have all the livestock pens and show arenas right next to a huge convention hotel—rooms, restaurants, meeting rooms, tradeshow space, all in one shiny new venue.
Over the next five years the show grounds will see a major redevelopment. I’m sure it will be a very nice facility when it’s complete. As many of you already know, the grounds are difficult to use. Parking has been a pain even though it was free this past year.
The big question is how this show is going to operate during five years of construction, and then add in the redevelopment of I-70 at the same time. This part of Denver is going to be awfully busy over the next few years. Denver traffic is already some of the worst in the nation.
The only buildings that will remain will be the Stadium Arena and the Livestock Exchange Building since they have both been designated as historic sites. So, they will keep some history, but everything else goes.
There are a lot of fingers in the pie too. Colorado State University will build an equine vet facility. Denver Water is putting a building up. We will have all new livestock arenas and pens. The yard show cattle will be on the far north side of the grounds. Denver is planning on several large multi-use venues, as well.
Perhaps the centerpiece will be the NWSS Legacy Building housing the Stock Show offices and the new National Western Club, situated in the center of the grounds.
The price tag for this project is around $1.3 billion, the majority of which the city will be funding. The NWSS Association needs to come up with around $100 million to fund their portion of the project. They are off to a good start and selling naming rights to certain buildings and features. Just last week Sue Anschutz Rodgers gave generously to have the Legacy Building named after her. Sue owns the Crystal River Ranch in Carbondale; she truly has Colorado heritage in her blood. And Pete Coors of Coors Beer fame also donated big. He serves as chairman of the Legacy Fund so don’t be surprised if he solicits your participation.
It will be good to have a new venue for the greatest livestock show on earth. It needs a major facelift. Every other city with a major stock show has redeveloped those areas of town. Now Denver is going to do it in a very big way. It will be good. The process will be a bit annoying, but I’m sure we’ll get to the other side in five years. — PETE CROW
