The World Trade Center (WTC) Denver has pivoted its plans to develop its new global campus at 38th and Blake St. in the RiNo District, due to development delays and a change of scope of the project. WTC will instead build at Fox Park, a 41-acre community development site at the crossroads of I-70 and I-25, near the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) site of 41st and Fox.
The owners of Fox Park are Vita Fox North L.P. and the developer is Pure Development headed in Denver by Jose Carredano. The new campus will likely break ground between Q3 and Q4 of 2021 to enhance infrastructure and open in Q4 of 2022 with a phased approach.
“We are delighted about the place-making opportunities, cultural facilities, maker space and convening spaces that we can provide at the new site,” said Karen Gerwitz, president and CEO of the World Trade Center Denver. “We were pleased to discover this development team with the right forward-thinking, global mindset to make this a legacy project for Denver.”
“The new World Trade Center Denver at Fox Park will create a Denver International Welcome Center and transit-oriented community that will further connect us to the global economy,” said Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “By showcasing the best of Denver on a global scale, we will create local opportunities to drive economic success in all our communities.”
Kathleen Fogler of Tryba Architects has designed the master plan transforming the former Denver Post’s 327,000-square-foot printing press into the 600,000-square-foot World Trade Center Denver Complex, which will be a modern multi-use urban center including a cultural center, an International Exhibit Hall, a boutique hotel, performing arts theater, a conference center, global and local restaurants, retail, fitness center, maker space, and art galleries. The entire 41-acre project will include 2,240,000 square feet of office space and 3,400 residential units in its four phases. The Denver Botanic Gardens will design and maintain 14 acres of public parks and open space, an outdoor amphitheater, and a nursery.
“We always envisioned this exciting development to be an authentic, placemaking experience, which celebrates diversity in this great community,” said developer Jose Carredano. “Having the World Trade Center anchor this project brings that vision to life, and we couldn’t be more pleased with our partnership!”
WTC Denver’s new corporate offices will include innovative local and international businesses of all sizes selecting incubator space to customized build-to-suit buildings. On-site services offered to tenants and member companies will include: Trade Help Desk, Concierge Services, Executive Suites, Event Booking, B2B Matchmaking, Foreign Investment Support, Vendor
Clearinghouse, Trade Education, and more. One of the major benefits of the new space will be the ability to better convene the international business community to connect to global opportunities and share lessons learned from peers.
“Recognizing the importance of global connectivity, shared innovation and international trade, we see a value in having a highly dynamic hub of international activities and believe that the vision of the future World Trade Center Denver campus in Fox Park is the right solution at the right time,” said Governor Jared Polis.
The World Trade Center Denver was located in the two 29-story towers that carried their name at 16th and Broadway in downtown Denver for 28 years. The organization moved into a temporary location within Geotech Environmental Equipment at 2650 E. 40th and will continue to work out of this temporary location until the opening of Phase One of the new campus. Throughout its history, the World Trade Center Denver has trained over 35,000 participants in the various aspects of international business. The WTC Denver is also one of the most active members since 1987 of the World Trade Centers Association, with over 320 locations in 100 countries and headquartered in New York.
