Girl Scouts To Open First-Ever DreamLab In Denver To Build On National Real Estate Model
The Girl Scouts of the USA are celebrating their 111th anniversary by launching a new “DreamLab” prototype in Denver and are gearing up to open more around the U.S.
The DreamLab concept is designed to build upon the Girl Scouts’ national real estate model, which includes camps, offices and centers dedicated to science, technology, engineering and math education. This Denver DreamLab, which will open on March 12, will also include a Girl Scout boutique, a podcast booth, a bouldering wall and an outdoor skills area with a faux fire pit and tent.
The Denver location will be in a 4K SF building the Girls Scouts leased from Confluent Development, but the organization declined to share specifics about the transaction and how much it will cost the organization to convert the property. Elizabeth Hart, Newmark’s president of leasing for North America, advised the Girl Scouts on the deal.
Girls Scouts USA has plans to expand the DreamLab model to other cities. So far, the organization has developed three models of varying sizes that can adapt to the needs of the 111 Girl Scout councils across the country.
The next two will be for its Louisiana East and New Jersey South councils and are expected to open this summer. The group has not released additional information about how these sites will differ from the one in Denver.
“For the past two years, we worked closely with our partners at Newmark, a world leader in commercial real estate and stakeholders across Girl Scouts to create a future vision for Girl Scout properties to better meet the needs of our girls and volunteers,” Girl Scouts USA Senior Vice President of Property and Strategy Anne Smith said in a press release. “Together, we created the Girl Scout DreamLab, an environment that is inclusive, accessible, and designed for today’s girl.”
The move comes as Girl Scouts USA continues to revamp its real estate portfolio. In September, the organization sold its Newark, Delaware, headquarters and three other properties to “shore up its finances,” according to Kent County News. The group also sold one of its properties near Red Feather Lakes in Colorado for about $11.25M in October, the Denver Business Journal reported.
“DreamLabs are all about inspiring and engaging current and future Girl Scouts with our unique program experiences and offering community members the opportunity to explore new activities the Girl Scout way,” Girls Scout USA CEO Bonnie Barczykowski said in a press release. “Through this initiative, we aim to increase our reach and impact, elevate the Girl Scout experience among those who are new to or unfamiliar with Girl Scouting, and provide an exciting new space for everyone to make those important in-person connections.”
CORRECTION, MARCH 9, 10 A.M. ET: A previous version of this story improperly stated that the Girl Scouts USA purchased the DreamLab building from Confluent Development when it is leasing the building. The story has been updated.
