It has been talked about for years. Now, thanks to collaboration among Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane, a majority of the Scottsdale City Council, city staff, Barrett-Jackson, the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, Arizona Sun Circuit Quarter Horse Show and others a $40 million expansion of the Tony Nelssen Equestrian Center is a reality.
WestWorld of Scottsdale, site of Scottsdale’s signature horse and horsepower events, has seen a variety of improvements recently, but none bigger than Tuesday night’s landmark decision.
It will create expanded opportunities for new and existing equestrian shows and, for the “World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions™,” a permanent, main auction arena, replacing the 120,000 square foot tent now dominating WestWorld.
“For over a decade we have been talking with the City of Scottsdale about a permanent facility like this in order to make what has always been a desire for a long-term agreement with our hometown,” said Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson. “Thanks to the leadership of this Mayor and Council it finally got done.”
Jackson said the decision is terrific news for the event’s guests, bidders, consignors, vendors and sponsors.
“We get to replace a challenging, temporary tent with a better, permanent auction arena. We can park fewer cars on the polo field with more on higher ground. And, this will allow us to realize a long-time goal of building our new corporate headquarters and car museum on private land I own next to WestWorld,” Jackson said.
Jackson said his relationship with the City of Scottsdale and equestrian users at WestWorld has never been better. While Barrett-Jackson will continue to erect hundreds of thousands of square feet of tents for automobiles, vendors and lifestyle components, WestWorld’s new facility will allow Barrett-Jackson to save money on certain, temporary infrastructure costs, amounts that will now be used to help pay for the expanded Equestrian Center, as the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show and Arizona Sun Circuit Quarter Horse Show are doing.