Denver Art Museum

North Building Renovation
Denver, CO

242,225 SF
$150 Million
Completed 2020

CLIENT: Denver Art Museum ARCHITECTS: Machado Silvetti & Fentress Architects CONTRACTOR: Saunders Construction

Grundy CMC served as the museum's full-service Owner's Representative for the Denver Art Museum's $150 million revitalization of the cherished 1971 North Building.

The renovated and unified campus, including the new Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center and other public spaces, will be fully reopened to the public by the end of 2021, the 50th anniversary of the Martin Building (previously the North Building). The campus features expanded guest services, dining, programming and event spaces.

Originally designed by renowned Italian modernist architect Gio Ponti and Denver-based James Sudler Associates, the 210,000-square-foot building is considered one of the first-ever high-rise art museums. More than one million reflective glass tiles cover the building’s exterior, and its two-towered façade has long been an iconic feature of the city.

In addition to revitalizing the Martin Building, the project also replaced an adjoining structure with a new 50,000-square-foot welcome center which significantly increases accessibility to the museum from adjacent Civic Center Park and the Denver Public Library. It is also lined, as it extends back toward the Ponti towers, with an array of visitor amenities—ticketing, retail, a full restaurant, and café that opens onto outdoor terraces within the expanded and upgraded Acoma Plaza. The second level, which connects to both the Hamilton and Martin Buildings, features a multi-use event space with beautifully framed views of adjacent buildings and the Rocky Mountains.

Grundy CMC provided full-time, full service owner representation to the museum on this very complex part-new construction, part-renovation of a 50-year old, 9-story architectural artwork, bringing the project home on time and within the budget.