The World Trade Center Denver, a trade association with a million-dollar brand and global recognition, has selected a transit-oriented development site at 38th and Blake Street in the revitalized River North Art District neighborhood for a New World Trade Center Denver Global Campus.
The site is located one commuter rail stop from Union Station downtown on the route to Denver International Airport. The development team selected after a year of due diligence is Sean Campbell, who co-developed the business ecosystem Industry on Brighton Boulevard, Trae Rigby, head of Saunders Commercial Development—a new extension of Saunders Construction Inc., and Andrew Feinstein, a longtime RiNo real estate investor and co-managing partner of the EXDO Event Center.
“The proposed site of the new World Trade Center Denver will create a transit-oriented community that will be like no other in the city,” said Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “It will allow us to easily showcase the best of Denver on a global scale.”
“We are delighted about the place-making opportunity and business development experience of the site and team we selected,” said Karen Gerwitz, president of the World Trade Center Denver. “With a global twist on a uniquely local ecosystem, we chose developers with the right global mindset to make this a legacy project for Denver.”
The new global campus will likely break ground early next year and open in first-quarter 2019 with a phased approach. While local architect OZ Architecture has been selected to do the master planning, an international design competition will bring awareness to the project and create a truly global center. WTC Denver’s new corporate offices will house best-in-breed large and small international businesses, representing strong industries and innovative technologies within the global ecosystem. The first phase will also include a flagship business hotel that will anchor the project on the corner of 38th between Walnut and Blake, and an international business center housing a state-of-the-art conference center, a co-working environment for growing international businesses and resources, globally themed restaurants and retail stores, and an art gallery that will attract international and local visitors alike.
“Having worked in the World Trade Center in New York, I know firsthand how the World Trade Center brand can transform an area in the city,” said Campbell. “We are honored to be selected to partner with the World Trade Center Denver and to help create a truly transformative global center in Denver.”
“As a fifth-generation Denverite, I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the World Trade Center Denver to elevate Denver’s profile on the international stage,” said Feinstein. “We are well positioned with this project to make Denver a globally recognized city.”
The World Trade Center Denver trade association will continue to offer trade services on-site, including access to a full-time trade institute and international business advisors, market data research, and an incubator for companies new to global trade. 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 on a peer-to-peer basis.
“Recognizing the importance of global connectivity, shared innovation and 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 is the right solution to meeting this need,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper.
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. Last year, the organization moved into a temporary location within its member company Geotech Environmental Equipment at 2650 E. 40th and will continue to work out of this temporary location until the opening of Phase I of the new campus. Throughout its history, the World Trade Center Denver has trained over 30,000 participants in the various aspects of international business. The trade association is also an active member of the World Trade Centers Association, with over 300 locations in 100 countries and headquartered in New York.
Leasing will be managed by Tom Lee, executive managing director of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, and Drew McManus, senior director of Cushman & Wakefield. For more information, visit www.wtcdenver.org/FutureWTC.
