Redevelopment of Coors site begins

Multiyear project to transform 12.5- acre property into office, mixed- use project

The first phase of a project that will transform a large industrial site in the heart of Golden is underway with the start of work on what will become the new global headquarters for Coorstek.

The recent groundbreaking for the first building in the development c alled Clayworks is being followed by demolition of structures that h oused Coorstek’s manufacturing and research and development work for more than a century. T he 1 82,000- squarefoot b uilding will b e the new headquarters f or t he c ompany, which manufactures t echnical ceramics f or such industries a s aerospace, defense, energy, agriculture and electronics.

The office building, expected to take a couple of years to complete, will provide space for another company and three food and beverage outlets. Cohen said the developer is s till t alking t o prospective tenants.

Plans for other parts of the 12.5acre site include more office space, apartments, a hotel, retail outlets, open spaces and public plazas.

“It’s been a lmost four y ears since we conceived of the idea of redeveloping the property. It’s a thrill to have reached this milestone,” said Dan Cohen, president of AC Development.

AC Development i s owned by the Coors family, who started what became Coors Brewing Co. in G olden and owns C oorstek, once called the Coors Porcelain Co. Coorstek’s n ew h eadquarters will incorporate the s ite’s first building, put up in 1910, another original structure and will contain other family businesses.

A five- story building that was constructed later will also be part of the redevelopment. The entire project, which will cover roughly 1.25 million square feet, will take from six to 10 years to finish, Cohen said.

AC Development hasn’t said how much the first building will cost, but Michael Coors, co- CEO of Coorstek, said in a 2022 interview that a ll the work would likely cost between $ 600 m illion a nd $ 900 million.

“We are proud to be part of this exciting project that will redefine this historic area,” Coors said in a statement.

The new Coorstek headquarters will be designed b y Tryba Architects and will reflect “our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and an exceptional work environment for our employees,” Coors said.

This first phase of Clayworks will be built by the Denver o ffice of H older Construction. The building will be all electric and sit atop one level of belowgrade parking.

Dozens of 500- foot deep geothermal wells will help power the building a nd solar panels will likely be added.

The Golden City Council approved rezoning the former Coorstek manufacturing site and the redevelopment plan in the summer of 2022. Cohen s aid the unanimous approval f ollowed more than 110 community meetings and hearings.

“A lot of buildings had to be abated for asbestos. We did a lot of salvaging of machinery and ephemera from the history of operations o f the manufacturing,” Cohen said. “We’ll be incorporating some of those features, like k iln carts, into the design.”

Much s ignificant w ork took p lace o n the industrial site, such as the perfection of t he a luminum beverage can and advancement i n technical ceramics, Cohen said.

“We want t o embrace that. The name Clayworks is a nod to that history,” he added.

Porcelain was manufactured at the Golden site because of the quality of the clays in the soil.

“We’re excited to reknit this s ite into t he d owntown Golden urban fabric and build some beautiful buildings and bring people there,” Cohen said.