“The Berg” to Activate Historic Shoenberg Farms With Food and Live Events
DENVER, CO – One of Westminster’s most historic properties is entering a new chapter of activation and preservation.
Rendering Provided by MJ Development / Raptor Civil Engineering& Surveying
The former Shoenberg Farms dairy barn at 73rd Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard is being redeveloped into The Berg, a multi-tenant food hall and entertainment venue scheduled to open in 2026.
Established in 1911, Shoenberg Farms once operated as one of the largest dairy and poultry operations west of the Mississippi. The farm supplied dairy and eggs to institutions including National Jewish Hospital and remained a significant part of the region’s agricultural history for decades. After the property eventually fell into disuse, the City of Westminster designated the remaining structures as historic landmarks, preserving the iconic barn and silos that still define the site today.
Now, developers Matthew Lawrence and John Crays of MJ Development are leading the adaptive reuse of the property, transforming the historic dairy barn into a community gathering destination centered around food, events and local programming.
Rendering Provided by MJ Development / Raptor Civil Engineering& Surveying
“There’s a need for an area where people can congregate, get together and dine. It’s a crucial part of human interaction, and we’re playing into that need,” Lawrence previously said about the vision for the site.
The project is designed not just as a food hall, but as an incubator-style space intended to lower the barrier to entry for small and local businesses.
Plans for The Berg include multiple food vendor stalls, a bar, indoor seating hall, mezzanine space, outdoor seating areas and a venue lawn featuring a stage for concerts and community events.
Rendering Provided by MJ Development / Raptor Civil Engineering& Surveying
Raptor Civil is providing civil engineering and land surveying services for the redevelopment. Converting a former farm into a restaurant and entertainment venue required careful evaluation of existing infrastructure and modern performance standards.
“A lot of the challenges are making sure that wherever you want your waste to go, such as sanitary waste and kitchen waste, that you have capacity within the surrounding infrastructure to support that,” the Raptor Civil team explained during a recent site walkthrough.
Because the property was originally designed for agricultural use, modern restaurant demands required detailed coordination of drainage patterns, sanitary capacity, grading and utility servicing. Integrating historic buildings with new outdoor seating areas, parking, stage facilities and gathering spaces required the site to function safely and efficiently under a completely new use.
Rendering Provided by MJ Development / Raptor Civil Engineering& Surveying
The engineering team emphasized that civil engineering often goes unnoticed when executed correctly. The Raptor Civil team so noted, “You’ve done your job right when you have no idea what the civil engineer has done.” In projects like The Berg, that behind-the-scenes coordination is what allows historic preservation and modern activation to coexist seamlessly.
Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with the project positioned to preserve a significant piece of Westminster’s history while introducing a new destination for food, live entertainment and community gathering.
We will continue following the development as it progresses.
Rendering Provided by MJ Development / Raptor Civil Engineering& Surveying
All project information was sourced from publicly available site plans, renderings, and permitting documents.
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All project information was sourced from publicly available site plans, renderings, and permitting documents.
4 minute read • The 1911 Shoenberg Farms dairy barn in Westminster is being transformed into The Berg, a multi-tenant food hall and entertainment venue expected to open in 2026. Raptor Civil is leading the civil engineering and land surveying for the redevelopment.