Museum history reflects Denver's love of art

Rocky Mountain News

Published October 6, 2006 at midnight

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• 1893: Denver Art Museum founded as the Artists' Club of Denver.

• 1954: After being housed in a variety of locations, including the City and County Building and the Chappell House, 1300 Logan St., the collection moves in 1954 to galleries near the site on which the first real museum building would be built.

• 1965: Officials announce plans for a new building and begin a fundraising drive that nets money from the city and private donors.

• 1966: A model of the design by Gio Ponti of Italy and James Sudler of Denver is displayed; the 210,000 square foot building is projected to cost $6 million.

• Oct. 3, 1971: The Ponti-Sudler Denver Art Museum opens with a collection of 20,000 works valued at more than $10 million.

• 1981: City and state support for Denver cultural groups vanishes, so the museum institutes its first admission fee ($2 for adults).

• 1988: Lewis Sharp hired as the director of the Denver Art Museum after previously heading the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

• Feb. 6-7, 1993: Museum marks its centennial with new gallery installations for Spanish Colonial, pre-Columbian and Asian art. Collection now valued at about $200 million. Weekend opening festivities attract 20,000. Much of the museum was closed for two years during the $9.3 million renovation, which included $8 million in bond money.

• Nov. 15-16, 1997: A $7.5 million expansion that closes the original oval Ponti entrance opens to the public. Other changes include the AR7 HooverDesmond "claw" erected to mark the new Acoma Plaza entry, and the debut of Palettes restaurant and Schlessman Hall. New galleries open for special exhibitions, Western art, American and European painting, decorative arts and furnishings, and architecture, design and graphics.

• Nov. 2, 1999: Denver voters approve a $62.5 million bond issue (61 percent to 39 percent) to build a 146,000-square-foot expansion.

• January, 2000: Mayor Wellington Webb appoints a 12-member selection committee to review proposals from 40 architects.

• May, 2000: Field narrowed to three architects: Arata Isozaki, Daniel Libeskind and Thom Mayne. The architects speak at a public forum on June 6.

• July 13, 2000: Libeskind chosen to design the new building.

• Aug. 6, 2000: Decision made to keep parking garage above ground.

• Aug. 23, 2000: Libeskind chooses Denver-based Davis Partnership Architects as local partner on the project.

• Dec. 14, 2000: Libeskind presents the first design, including a bridge linking the original museum to the new structure and a parking garage. Mention is made that the city may aim to co-develop the site with residential and retail property.

• Aug. 14, 2001: M.A. Mortenson selected as project contractor.

• Nov. 19, 2001: Museum announces it has raised $53.5 million to expand its endowment, surpassing the $50-million goal pledged to the city during the election campaign.

• April 1, 2002: Parking garage groundbreaking.

• March 15, 2003: Opening of parking garage.

• April 9, 2003: Dedication of site and naming ceremony.

• July 17, 2003: Informal new building groundbreaking.

• November, 2003: Steel begins to go up.

• September, 2004: West 13th Avenue closes near the museum for construction; street remains closed until April 2005.

• June, 2004: Installation of exterior titanium panels begins.

• August, 2004: Work begins on prow over West 13th Avenue.

• Sept. 20, 2004: Canopy over Acoma Plaza removed.

• May 2005: Construction begins on Museum Residences.

• Spring 2006: Building turned over in phases to Denver Art Museum for gallery installation.

• April 3, 2006: Opening weekend date of Oct. 7-8 announced.