After being partly closed for years, Denver Art Museum, designed by Gio Ponti will fully reopen to the public on 24 October 2021. The enhancements – made by US firms Machado Silvetti Architects, based in Boston, and local Fentress Architects include a new rounded welcome centre, outdoor areas and reconfigured galleries, along with additional space for events, dining and education.
The iconic museum is one of the first high-rise art museums and the only one Ponti completed in North America. Opened in 1971, it sits within the heart of Denver: a sevenstorey, asymmetrical tower clad in shimmering tiles, with 24 different sides – so it has been referred to as “castle-like” in appearance.
In addition to this facility the architects, conceiving the overhaul, had to consider also another structure: a spiky, standalone addition designed by Daniel Libeskind and opened in 2006. The team therefore decided to design a structure simultaneously in dialogue with the vibrant visual language of Ponti and Libeskind’s sculpted rostrums, while also providing connection to the different function of the museum.