Redevelopment returns CoorsTek HQ to original Golden site

GOLDEN — A 14-acre, six-block redevelopment of the former CoorsTek ceramics manufacturing site in Golden is returning the company’s global headquarters to the site where its ceramics operation was established in 1910.

The first phase of the development called Clayworks was completed with the opening of The Pottery, an 188,600-square-foot office building developed by AC Development, the Coors family’s development company. CoorsTek and AC Development Co. LLC teams completed their move into The Pottery this month.

For CoorsTek, a global manufacturer of technical ceramics, The Pottery represents a connection between the company’s history and its future. The workplace gives CoorsTek employees a modern headquarters while maintaining the company’s longstanding connection to Golden.

Approximately 165 CoorsTek employees will work from The Pottery. Additional office and retail space is available for lease within the building, offering businesses an opportunity to join the first completed phase of the Clayworks development.

“The Pottery brings CoorsTek’s headquarters back to our roots in Golden while giving our employees a new home for the work ahead,” Michael Coors, CEO of CoorsTek, said in a prepared statement. “This space gives our team an environment that reflects the way we work today and strengthens our ability to serve the industries that rely on CoorsTek’s technology and expertise. We’re proud to invest in a workplace that supports our people as we collaborate to solve our customers’ most complex challenges.”

Clayworks is transforming the former Coors industrial campus into a mixed-use neighborhood across six city blocks, with plans for office, retail, dining, public gathering areas, housing, parking and a future boutique hotel. The project will preserve elements of the property’s history while creating new spaces for the Golden community.

Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters, the first announced retail tenant at Clayworks, is set to open on the ground floor of The Pottery later this quarter.

The Pottery was created through the adaptive reuse of the former CoorsTek headquarters and manufacturing facilities. The building incorporates historic elements including the brick façade along Ford Street and original kiln elements, connecting CoorsTek’s modern workplace to the site where its ceramics legacy began.

The site has been home to generations of Coors manufacturing, evolving alongside the company as it produced everything from glassware and pottery, dinnerware and labware to aluminum cans and, most recently, technical ceramic components for semiconductor manufacturing, energy production, medical devices and other modern technologies.

That history was also uncovered during construction, when artifacts representing different eras of CoorsTek’s manufacturing legacy were discovered throughout the site. The Coors family archivist collected the items for preservation, with plans to display them at Clayworks in the future, creating another connection between the property’s past and its next chapter.

“The opening of The Pottery is a significant milestone for Clayworks and the first step in realizing our vision for this historic property,” Darden Coors, CEO of AC Development, said in a news release. “We set out to honor the legacy of this site while creating a place that can serve Golden well into the future. The Pottery brings that vision to life as a modern office environment and the new home of CoorsTek, and we’re excited to build on this momentum as we welcome future tenants and continue transforming Clayworks into a place where businesses and the community can thrive.”

The broader Clayworks redevelopment also incorporates sustainability-focused infrastructure, including a district-scale geothermal energy system designed to reduce the energy required to heat and cool the buildings. The system includes approximately 42 geothermal wells extending roughly 500 feet underground and is expected to serve approximately 80% of the project’s heating and cooling load while reducing energy use by approximately 25%. The Pottery is targeting LEED Gold and WELL Gold certifications.

The geothermal work has also supported workforce development through an apprenticeship partnership with CanAmerica. The program provided hands-on experience connected to the project’s geothermal infrastructure and received recognition from the U.S. Department of Labor.

 The Pottery was developed by AC Development, with Tryba Architects serving as architect and Holder Construction as general contractor.

With The Pottery complete, AC Development will continue advancing the broader Clayworks redevelopment. Future phases will include a boutique hotel that will reimagine the historic Golden High School, along with additional parking and other planned elements of the mixed-use development. 

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