National Western Center Redevelopment Moves Into Its Next Phase

Work continues at the National Western Center, where one of Denver’s biggest redevelopment efforts reached another milestone this fall. Recent construction progress, including the topping out of the new Legacy Building, marks another step in the long-term plan to turn the historic National Western Complex into a year-round campus for agriculture, education, events, and public gathering.

The site has been part of Denver’s history for well over a century. The stockyards opened near the South Platte River in the 1880s, taking advantage of the rail lines that helped make Denver a major hub for livestock trading across the region. Over time the complex expanded to include the Livestock Exchange Building, the Stadium Arena, the Denver Coliseum, and other facilities tied to the National Western Stock Show, which has been held here for more than 100 years.

The current redevelopment builds on that history while rethinking how the campus will work in the decades ahead. The National Western Center plan expands the site to more than 250 acres and introduces new facilities built for year-round use, including the CSU Spur campus, new livestock and event centers, restored riverfront open space, and future phases that will add housing, hospitality, and equestrian facilities. The project also focuses on reconnecting the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods to the river and to the rest of the city through new streets, bridges, and public spaces.

For those of us who have worked in and around Denver for a long time, the National Western Complex has always been one of the city’s most distinctive places. Seeing this level of investment return to the site while keeping its history intact says a lot about how much the National Western Complex still means to Denver.

We’ve been following the redevelopment closely. It’s great to see the work continuing, and to see a place with this much history getting ready for its next hundred years.

Featured photo credit: City and County of Denver
Gallery photo credit: National Western Center