Z Block

Challenge

McWhinney, a real estate firm focusing on large-scale, single- and multi-use developments, penned an agreement to redevelop the city block between 18th and 19th, and Blake and Wazee Streets in downtown Denver. The buildings that collectively comprised this block were previously known as the Historic Windsor Dairy block. At the outset of the project, significant skepticism among the public and media was pervasive due to previous failed attempts at redevelopment. As such, in the initial stages of the project, McWhinney enlisted dovetail solutions to market the block’s office space and secure appropriate interest in the redevelopment for potential tenants.

Strategy

McWhinney asked dovetail solutions to spearhead the marketing of the Z Block development in partnership with the project’s office broker. dovetail solutions worked closely with the retail broker to define the branding of the Z Block project. Next, dovetail solutions developed a series of visual tools to reflect the brand and vibrancy of the project, including postcards, a brochure and a multi-faceted website. Each piece of collateral further substantiated the credibility of the Z Block project and McWhinney’s work behind it. Additionally, dovetail solutions advocated on behalf of McWhinney to the media and generated significant interest based on the historic nature of the project and McWhinney’s previous high-profile historic Denver project, Union Station.

Results

By leveraging dovetail solutions’ relationships with targeted media and supplementing these relationships with signature collateral pieces, the Z Block project achieved substantiation and significant market presence. The resulting project, a 426,000-square-foot development, garnered five unique articles in addition to ongoing interest and inquiry from media representatives whom dovetail solutions have kept informed of the project’s progress. The project has also secured substantial and signature tenant agreements for the office space at the development.