Western Art News
Upward Progress
Construction continues on the massive North Building
renovation at the Denver Art Museum.
W
ith external
renovation nearly
complete on the
seven-story North Building at
the Denver Art Museum, work
turns to the interior, which will
likely take considerable time
considering the building’s size,
210,000 square feet. The Gio
Ponti-designed North Building,
which closed for renovation in
November 2017, will house new
and expanded art galleries and
will serve as the educational heart
of the museum’s campus. The
building was built in 1971 and
the renovation will retain many of
the Ponti’s designs, including the
perforated openings and concrete
façade.
The $150-million project
will also see the creation of the
Anna and John J. Sie Welcome
Center, directly in front of the
North Building. The welcome
center was named after Anna
and John Sie pledged $12 million
to support its construction. That
building, which will feature a
glass rotunda with views around
the entire upper perimeter, willtake its inspiration from many of
Ponti’s original Italian designs.
In addition to the welcome
center, the renovation and
expansion will include new or
renovated spaces for the Centerfor Learning and Engagement,
the Design and Graphics Gallery,
the Bonfils-Stanton Gallery for
collection-based exhibitions,
the Western American Art
galleries on the seventh floor,
and a conservation lab. Funding
for the renovation largely
came from private supporters,
including museum chairman
J. Landis Martin and his wife
Sharon Martin, who pledged $25
million, the largest standalone
financial gift in the museum’s
history. When the North Building
reopens it will be named the
J. Landis and Sharon Martin
Building in honor of their
contribution.
“The revitalization of theNorth Building—soon to be the
Martin Building—will unify the
Denver Art Museum campus,
celebrate Gio Ponti’s iconic
design and ensure the building’s
relevance and stewardship for
the next 50 years of its life,” says
Christoph Heinrich, the Frederick
and Jan Mayer Director of the
museum.
The project is slated for
completion by the end of 2021,
which would mark the North
Building’s 50th anniversary.
During construction, the
museum is still open in the
famous Hamilton Building. For
more information about the
project or the museum visit
http://www.denverartmuseum.org.Exterior view of the North Building, 2015. Photograph
© James Florio.Aerial view rendering showing the North Building,
right, Welcome Center and Hamilton building.
Courtesy of Fentress Architects and Machado Silvetti.New elevator core construction in the North Building tower, October 2018.
Courtesy Denver Art Museum.