Mayor Michael B. Hancock, the National Western Center Authority, and its partners were in attendance today as the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center at the National Western Center broke ground. The over 350,000-square-foot addition is the largest building to date at the National Western Center and will serve as Denver’s newest event venue for sporting events, trade shows, concerts, and festivals, as well as the host of any annual Stock Show livestock-related events.
The City and County of Denver, through the Mayor’s Office of the National Western Center, is responsible for program management and construction of most of the campus. Whiting-Turner Contracting Company is the contractor and Populous is the design architect for the new Livestock Center building.
“This marks an incredible milestone for both Denver and the National Western Center campus,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “The city is proud to be spearheading construction efforts around this amazing new space and we’re thrilled to see the campus coming to life as a year-round destination for education, entertainment and business innovation.”
Construction on the new facility is expected to begin in February 2023, following Stock Show activities, and conclude in 2025. The Livestock Center will connect to the adjacent Legacy Building, the new headquarters of the National Western Stock Show.
The building will feature a roughly 160,000-square-foot multi-use arena that will host year-round events, as well as a nearly 200,000 sq. ft. expo hall that is expected to draw indoor festivals, sporting events, conventions, farmers’ markets and more. Also included will be a smaller, roughly 20,000 sq. ft. auction hall space that will focus on smaller gatherings like livestock auctions, lectures, performances, movies, educational displays, and competitions.
“The new Livestock Center is an important achievement in the evolution of the National Western Center campus, creating a significant, flexible space drawing a wide spectrum of events and visitors every day of the year,” Brad Buchanan, CEO of the National Western Center Authority said. “We’re thrilled to support the effort in building the forever home of that National Western Stock Show within the year-round National Western Center campus focused on food, entertainment, agriculture and community.”
