Why the Campaign?

THE END OF THE LINE

The National Western Stock Show represents the West as it was and as it still is. For sixteen days each year, it is an unsurpassed reminder and reinvigoration of the West’s great legacy. Its scale, scope and cultural importance have rightly earned it the nickname “The Super Bowl of Livestock Shows.” But this Super Bowl – and the other 220 events whose combined 1.3 million visitors add $115 million to the Colorado economy each year – needed a new home.

The National Western Complex hosting the Stock Show enjoyed a high-profile location near the heart of Denver, one of America’s most appealing and vibrant cities. But many of the Complex’s buildings dated back more than a half century. Its spaces were often dark, cramped, and unwelcoming. The issues were more than cosmetic. Evolving needs and the Stock Show’s growth had rendered them obsolete.

Outside, there was much more space for cattle than for people. Rather than being master-planned, the Complex’s footprint had expanded haphazardly over time. What might have been pleasant stretches down by the South Platte River were riven with freight-train tracks and paved over with roads.
These shortcomings eroded the National Western Complex’s utility and attractiveness, and, in doing so, limited the potential of its marquee event. It also constrained the potential cultural, educational, and economic benefits to the region during the 349 days a year the Stock Show wasn’t happening. We expect the redevelopment to enable a doubling of economic impact to the region.

The Honoring the Legacy campaign is working to develop four major facilities that will constitute the National Western Stock Show’s new home. Built on the same grounds as the old Complex, this state-of-the-art campus will support the National Western’s further development as a truly national, Western icon for decades to come.