The Wildlife Experience building just east of I-25 and Lincoln has been many things to many people in its 19-year life: an events center, museum of natural history, IMAX theater and a University of Colorado Denver South campus.

Now it’s poised to transform again, this time into an alternative education campus for the Douglas County School District.

The school board approved a Dec. 14 sale of the property. According to the Douglas County Assessor’s Office, the sale price was $0.

Details of the transaction weren’t readily available as university officials, Douglas County School District officials nor David or Gail Liniger, the Colorado couple who founded residential real estate giant Re/Max and built the Wildlife Experience building in 2002, wanted to discuss how the deal went down. The contract was shrouded by a nondisclosure agreement.

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District officials told residents in an online Q&A that they bought the property for $10.3 million, which includes the 14.1 acres it sits on at 10035 S. Peoria St. in Lone Tree. The city annexed the property in 2017, when it was still CU-Denver South. Many know it as “The Liniger Building.”

The district plans to spend $19.8 million on facilities improvements to bring it up to school-building standards.

“This is a great investment into the students of the Douglas County School District,” Danny Winsor, executive director of schools, said in an interview. “Our goal as a district is to always invest in student success. This will give them a leg up on transitioning through the school district to the workforce and beyond, whether that’s college — a 2- or 4-year kind, industry certifications and college credits.”

Past history

Many south Denver residents have visited the 109,000-square-foot building, whether they went to “Movie and a Martini,” “Trick or Treat Off the Street” or one of the “Art and Ale” festivals that for years drew more than 40 breweries and continually sold out. Officials used to have a massive outdoor light display every holiday season, and the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce held many large events there.

Its great hall can hold up to 1,150 people — three times the size of the biggest auditorium the district now has, Winsor said.

“It’s a landmark for Lone Tree and Douglas County as well,” he said, noting the district plans to lease the facility for events to offset the estimated $1.4 million in annual upkeep costs. The first event since the district took ownership involves more than 150 CEOs from various companies coming in to tour the facility.

“It’s important it’s not just about K-12 programming,” said Winsor.

The district will continue to partner with CU, which still offers its nursing program at the building, Arapahoe Community College, the University of Denver and various industry partners.

“We’re talking post-secondary readiness,” he said. “Students will be able to find an educational experience that supports them being successful, and ensures a lot of on ramps and off ramps.”

Winsor estimated the district has saved students some $4 million in post-secondary education tuition by offering college-credit classes.

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How the deal went down

In 2015, the Linigers donated the building and land to the University of Colorado. Its estimated value was $40 million, and it was the biggest land donation to the university at the time.

CU officials tried to make a go of the CU-Denver South campus, but a lack of student demand and then the pandemic halting in-person learning ultimately doomed it.

“The university engaged in a multiyear effort to develop the CU South Denver facility,” Michael Sandler, vice president for communications, said in an email. “All four campuses created academic programs, and the university invested significant funds to renovate portions of the building, market those programs and maintain the museum and event operations housed at the building.

“Unfortunately, CU didn’t see enough demand for the programs to cover the $1.4 million annual costs to maintain the building. The subsidies the university had provided, and would have to continue to provide, were unsustainable. Therefore, the university decided in 2020 to sell the building, and following a competitive marketing process, the property was sold to the Douglas County School District in late 2021.”

The Parker Chronicle reported the university had to return the gift to the Linigers, before it ultimately ended up with Douglas County, but The Denver Gazette could not independently confirm that.

Douglas County voters in 2018 approved bonds to fund a new Innovation Center and Alternative Education school at Pine Drive in Parker. But the school board ditched that plan in October “due to budget overruns,” according to the Q&A.

The $38.1 million in “remaining funds from the Pine Drive projects” is enough to cover the $10.3 million purchase price, $19.8 million in building upgrades and $5 million to purchase “ACC Parker” (Arapahoe Community College Parker campus) and $3 million for the “ACC Parker Budget.”

“Constructing 175,000 ft. of new space in current dollars to school standards, would cost approximately $90 – $100 million,” according to the Q&A. “In addition, a 14-acre site in this location would cost at least $500,000 per acre for a total of $7 million. Thus, the total estimated cost to construct a new school of this size on this acreage would cost approximately $97 – $107 million on the low range of the estimate.”

“We’ve been very fortunate,” said Winsor. “We owe a huge thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Liniger.”

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Asked how Douglas County will make the campus a success, where prior educational institutions could not, he said the district “is fortunate to have a pipeline of kids who will access this programming.”

“For us, being here in a central Douglas County location is just ideal, for public transit and access to all the high schools in our district,” Winsor said. “We’re excited about the opportunities ahead of us.”

The building is scheduled to open in August 2023 and will serve up to 700 students.