User:Forestcitystapleton/Fitzsimons life science district

Overview
At one time, the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center (FAMC) was among the largest economic enterprises in Aurora, and indeed, Colorado. A 1994 study by the City of Aurora estimated that the FAMC accounted for more than 12,000 jobs in the metropolitan area and had a total earnings impact of almost $328 million. Closure of the facility and the loss of its associated economic stimulus rippled through the local economy, creating a series of economic adjustments. However, today the redevelopment opportunity afforded by that closure holds promise that the Fitzsimons site will not only regain, but far surpass, its earlier stature as an important cog in the regional and state-wide economies.

The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority, in conjunction with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, the University of Colorado Hospital, The Children’s Hospital, the City of Aurora, and Forest City Science + Technology Group, has undertaken a major economic development initiative at the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora. In fact, collaboration, cooperation and scientific advancement are the components that shaped the vision for the redevelopment of the 578-acre former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado and, that vision is in the process of becoming reality. The vision is to create a “life sciences city” combining the health care, education and bioscience research strengths of the institutional partners with the site’s locational advantages and the emergence of bioscience research as an important driver of future economic growth to capitalize on the advantages and opportunities created by the critical massing of clinical care, education, and research. The synergy created by the research and development of the private bioscience companies at the Colorado Science + Technology Park at Fitzsimons and the research and clinical endeavors of the University and The Children’s Hospital, is definitely the catalyst for this successful scientific formula.

History
The Fitzsimons Life Science District and the adjacent Anschutz Medical Campus have a long history of healing, and a clear vision for the future. Founded in 1918 as Army General Hospital No. 21 to serve WWI veterans, the site was renamed in 1920 to honor William T. Fitzsimons, the first Army officer killed in the War. The Fitzsimons Army Medical Center provided quality health care to both civilian and military populations for 80 years. When the site was put on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list in 1995, officials from the City of Aurora, University of Colorado and University of Colorado Hospital banded together to preserve its unique heritage. Officials from Health Sciences Center, University of Colorado Hospital and the City of Aurora then presented an innovative proposal to the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. The proposal emphasized the benefits of reusing the decommissioned base to build, from the ground up, a world-class, academic health center, including state-of-the-art health care facilities and basic science and bioscience research.

For nearly a century, the Fitzsimons site has been dedicated to healing — and it’s about to enter its brightest era as one of the most ambitious medical developments in the country. When fully realized, the 578-acre site will be a world-class scientific community offering cutting-edge space, services and support to more than 40,000 bioscience and health care professionals. Simply put, it’s a square mile dedicated to giving bioscience companies the talent, facilities and support they need to move their ideas from inspiration to cure. Many of the historic sites at Fitzsimons will be preserved.

Anschutz Medical Campus
Adjacent to the Fitzsimons Life Science District, The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus first transformed of the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in the mid-1990s. Starting in 1996, the Anschutz Foundation began making a generous series of gifts to help both the University of Colorado Hospital and the University of Colorado Denver build new facilities on the just-decommissioned site of the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado. The site in Aurora is undergoing a $5 billion transformation into a square mile dedicated to excellence in patient care, education, basic science and applied research, as well as bioscience research and development; making it one of the most advanced bio-scientific communities in the world. Fitzsimons has a number of facilities including UCHSC’s hospital and schools of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and dentistry.

The Anschutz Medical Campus is the world's only completely new education, research and patient care facility and the largest academic health center between Chicago, Texas and the West Coast.

Built as state-of-the-art, the campus consists of three zones that promote collaboration and innovation: an education zone with remarkable facilities for training future physicians and other health professionals; a research zone with ground-breaking, internationally renowned research; and a clinical care zone with the University of Colorado Hospital and The Children's Hospital, the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine's primary adult and pediatric hospital partners, nearby.

The Bioscience Park Center
The Bioscience Park Center was one of the first buildings completed in the Fitzsimons Life Science District. It is a 60,000 sq. ft. incubator that nurtures life science start-ups. Within the Fitzsimons Life Science District, the Bioscience Park Center houses the business incubator that includes 14 pre-built labs, 21 executive offices suites, and many shared services and amenities including: 60,000 square feet on three floors, Space agreements are available in one-year terms with possible renewals, Conference rooms with A/V equipment, Kitchens, building-wide phone system, High-speed internet connections, Use of scientific and administrative equipment, Event space, Free Parking, FBBP, Outsource referral program, Lab coat rental program.

The facility, opened in 2000, was designed to inspire collaborations among scientists who can share standard equipment like autoclaves and ice makers. Bioscience start-ups contract for generic laboratory space on a one-year renewable basis. A majority are spin-offs of academic research at UCHSC. The Bioscience Park Center boasts some successful graduates. Myogen, one of the first tenants, was purchased recently by Gilead Sciences for $2.4 billion. GlobeImmune initially rented one-quarter of a laboratory, then grew so rapidly that it expanded from 7,000 sq. ft. in the incubator to 40,000 sq. ft. at its new location.

Since the Bioscience Park Center incubator opened, its tenants have created over 400 new jobs. To help current and future residents, the Fitzsimons Life Science District will continue to provide an environment for them to grow and resources and advisors to guide them. One endeavor, for instance, is the creation of Fitzsimons BioBusiness Partners, a group of seasoned investors and entrepreneurs. They volunteer their time to help new companies improve their business plans and find seed money to move scientific discoveries into the proof-of-concept stage.

Building 500
The historic architectural icon of the Fitzsimons Life Science District, Building 500, is an 11-story building opened in 1941, just days before the attack on Pearl Harbor and decades later anchors an ambitious project designed as a groundbreaking haven for medical care. This art moderne-style structure features a central tower with wings from 5-8 stories, marble columns and marble flooring. There are sundecks on floors five, six, and seven, and observation decks on the eighth floor. The University of Colorado has secured landmark status for this building and completed more than $20 million in renovations and will become a wired, interactive administrative center. This includes restoration of the suite where then-President Eisenhower spent seven weeks recovering from a heart attack in 1955. In 2000, a suite of rooms on hospital's eighth floor was restored to appear as it did when Eisenhower was recovering there.