FAQs

Nearly every community in Colorado has a museum dedicated to sharing its story – except Denver – and Denver has stories to share. Whether we trace our ancestry back many generations or we are recent arrivals, our stories are part of Denver’s shared history. The Museum of Denver (MOD) is a place where these stories can help us understand how we got to now, celebrate how far we’ve come, grapple with legacies of injustice, and inspire us to create a brighter future together.

The MOD will be a new public square where Denverites can come together to continue imagining a great city we all want to call home. It will be a valuable educational resource for residents - including students - that ensures we are equipped with the knowledge we need to participate in civic life. It will be an introduction for visitors and newcomers who want to know more about the city we are proud to call home. And it will be a repository to help to preserve and protect Denver’s historical artifacts and archives for future generations.

What do YOU love about Denver? The beer? The sweeping view of the mountains or spending time in one of our diverse neighborhoods? How about going to a Nuggets game? The Museum of Denver will bring this passion for all the things that make our city great and share it with our tourists, our school kids, our newest neighbors, and you! Imagine an inclusive and accessible experience where all are welcome to immerse themselves in the “larger than the Rockies” story of Denver. From its Indigenous trade site beginnings to the Broncos latest Super Bowl win, in just 165 years the Mile High City has emerged as the vibrant Denver we know and love today. Enjoy coffee or a local lunch speciality before walking through Denver’s history in three immersive galleries chronicling the people and events that shaped our city. Engage in curious exploration as you discover the peoples who settled and influenced our city’s growth, from meeting Gold Rush panhandlers to Chicano Movement leaders, while also getting to know our beautiful built environment and the scenic natural environment. The Museum of Denver will be fun, with outdoor areas for play and exploration, as well as indoor multimedia exhibits designed to mine our city’s rich history for the diverse stories that illustrate what makes Denver, Denver!

From Colorado Springs to Fort Collins and from Limon to Grand Junction nearly every community in Colorado has a city museum. Most of Denver’s peer cities throughout the nation, from Seattle to New York and Chicago to Los Angeles, similarly have city museums dedicated to sharing the stories that make them unique. Denver is long overdue for a museum that shares our story.

Vibrant history museums are wellsprings of civic engagement and shared identity. They are hallmarks of healthy communities, where we come together to share the individual stories that meld into a shared story in which we all belong. They provide educationalopportunities for people of all ages, from schoolchildren to seniors, and help to foster a sense of civic pride and engagement. They support teachers as they guide students in learning about their wider community. They serve as a cultural hub, hosting events and exhibitions that showcase the talents of residents. And they can be an economic driver, attracting visitors from around the world and generating revenue for local businesses.

Community members came together in 2023 to begin talking about Denver’s need for its own history museum. A volunteer organizing committee formed that includes individuals with diverse perspectives. While the MOD board is growing, current board members inlcude:

Kendra Black, Board Chair - Former Denver City Council Member

Jason Hanson, Vice Chair - Chief Creative Officer at History Colorado, Deputy State Historian, and 250-150 Commissioner

Mary Beth Susman, Secretary - Former Denver City Council Member

Andrea Malcomb, Treasurer - Executive Director of the Molly Brown House Museum

Patty Calhoun - Co-Founder, Editor-In-Chief of Westword Magazine

David Carlson - CEO at Colorado Polling Institute

Ramnik Dhaliwal - Partner at Carepoint Health and Medical Director at Swedish Medical Center Emergency Department

Nicki Gonzales - Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion at Regis University and Member of Colorado State Historian's Council

Josh Hanfling - Principal at Sewald Hanfling Public Affairs

Tommy Matthews - Principal at Tryba Architects

Derek Okubo - Former Executive Director, Denver Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships

Amanda Sandoval - Denver City Council Member, District 1

Skylar White - Senior Associate, Beyond Your Base

Museum of Denver Friends
AEG Presents Rocky Mountains

Alpine Bank

Asian Avenue Magazine

Asian Chamber of Commerce
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Colorado Asian Pacific United
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Downtown Denver Partnership

Flags of Denver
Historic Denver and Molly Brown Museum
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
Lowry Foundation
Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
Mile High Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League
National History Day in Colorado
Sage Hospitality
Sakura Square
Sakura Foundation
Southwest Airlines
United Airlines
Visit Denver

Hon. Albus Brooks
Hon. Charlie Brown

Hon. James Coleman

Hon. Lois Court

Hon. Keviin Flynn
Hon. Joyce Foster

Hon. Stacie Gilmore
Hon. Michael Hancock
Hon. Chris Hansen

Hon. Chris Herndon
Hon. John Hickenlooper

Hon. Chris Hinds
Hon. Bruce Hoyt
Hon. Paul Kashmann
Hon. Robin Kniech

Hon. Chris Nevitt

Hon. Adam Paul

Hon. Federico Pena
Hon. Theresa Pena

Hon. Bill Ritter
Hon. Diana Romero Campbell
Hon. Paul Rosenthal
Hon. Anne Rowe
Hon. Amanda Sawyer

Hon. Guillermo Vidal
Hon. Darrell Watson

Hon. Wellington Webb

Hon. Wilma Webb
Hon. Elbra Wedgeworth

Liz Adams

Stephanie Adams

Laura Aldrete
Rowena Alegria
Sharon Alton

J.J. Ament
Celeste Archer
Monica Badgette

Zuben Bastani

Bart Berger
Diana Black

Andy Bosselman
Linda & Wes Brown
Suzanne Brown

Jon Buerge
Patty Calhoun

David Carlson

Steven Chester
Miz Cordero

Sue Corbeil
Dana Crawford

Margaret Danuser

Jerome Davis
John Deffenbaugh

Alton Dillard
Tami Door
Evan Dreyer

Rhys Duggan
Brad Evans
Sarah & Andrew Feinstein

Karen & Kenneth Fish

Rabbi Steven Foster
Norm Franke
Maria Garcia Berry
Rebecca & Ken Gart
M.C. Genova
Kathy Gile
Danielle Glover
Nicki Gonzales
Bethany Gravel

Lori Greenstone
Kirsty Greer
Josh Hanfling
Jason Hanson

Carolynne Harris
Sara Hazel
Paul Herzmark
Arlene & Barry Hirschfeld
Dana Hoffman
Heidi Hoyt

John Huggins
Walter Isenberg

Austin Kane
Jo Kee

Josh Laipply
Dan Leshem

Stacie Loucks
Sam Mamet

Monica Martinez
Larry Mizel

Mary Morissette
Tom Noel “Dr. Colorado”
Derek Okubo

Yolana Ortega

Marcus Pachner

Luke Palmisano

Slavica Park

Perlmutter Family

Mikayla Perry
Jane Potts
Kevin Preblud

Myra & Robert Rich
Sarah Rockwell
Frank Rowe
Caitlin Quander

Alan Salazar
Alison Salutz
Danielle SeeWalker
R.D. Sewald
Jill Schladweiler
Stacey Shigaya

Gloria Schoch
Jeff Shoemaker
Janice Sinden
Tracy Stewart
Skye Stuart
Paul Tamburello
Stephanie & Greg Thomas
David Tryba

Steve Turner

Brian Vogt
Peter Wall

Sean Walsh
Roslyn Washington
Kate Williams
Skylar White
Suzanne White
Joe Wood

Charlie Woolley

History Colorado does sometimes spotlight Denver in its exhibitions, but as the state history museum their mission is to explore all of Colorado’s history, and the majority of exhibitions do not focus on Denver. The Museum of Denver will be dedicated to the capital city, allowing it to explore Denver deeply in ways that will complement and expand on the offerings at the History Colorado Center and the organization’s nearby Colorado Center for Women’s History.

The Western History Collection at theDenver Public Library is one of the most significant collections of western history in the country and is a valuable resource for researchers, scholars, and anyone interested in the history of the American West. The Collection includes vast resources related to Denver’s history. It is a research resource, however, and not designed for visitors looking for a museum experience. Some of the collection’s artifacts may be possible loans for Museum of Denver exhibits.

While we are exploring other viable options, the MOD organizing committee is interested in locating the museum in Denver’s cultural district in the Golden Triangle neighborhood. There is evidence that museums thrive when they are located near other museums and cultural institutions. The McNichols Building, owned by the City & County of Denver, has been identified as a possibility. Other suggested locations include: Convention Center, Loretto Heights, Larimer Square, Riverside Cemetery, Auraria, the National Western Center, Commons on Champa, first floor of a downtown office building, Evans School, and more.

The McNichols Building is an integral part of Civic Center Park, which is a National Historic Landmark. Civic Center is ringed by governmental and cultural institutions, a realization of Mayor Robert Speer’s vision for it as the heart of a beautiful city. Locating the Museum of Denver in the McNichols Building would not only align with Mayor Speer’s vision but also with the Civic Center Next 100 plan as well as Tryba Architects’McNichols Redevelopment Anaylsis. The MOD would attract Denverites and others to Civic Center year-round, a crucial component in making it the vibrant public space that the community has expected for decades.

The Museum of Denver at McNichols could activate Civic Center Park through a variety of activities inside and outside the museum:

· Engaging K-12 students learning about Denver in the heart of the city

· Attracting families to Civic Center for the museum, programs, events, and a picnic in the park

· Hosting performance space for local artists and performers

· Providing space for public and private meetings and events

· Working with other cultural organizations - including SCFD organizations - to program special events and performances

· Offering local food and drink in an outdoor beer garden setting

· Inviting fun for all ages on outdoor play equipment

· Screening movies in the park

· Creating a scavenger hunt designed to help Denverites explore Civic Center’s rich history and landscape

· Developing historical interpretive signage in the park

The Museum of Denver at McNichols fulfills all of the goals identified in plans for the McNichols Building and Civic Center.

· Creating an organizing purpose for the McNichols Building

· Extending museum activities and programs out into the park

· Enlivening an underutilized and underperforming city asset

· Providing a means for capital building expansion goals

The Museum of Denver can begin small within McNichols’ current public programming spaces without displacing other functions. Over time the museum can grow to fill the public spaces, adding non-profit community partners and community services

At this time, there are too many unknowns, including a location and the size of the museum, that make it difficult to estimate costs. Initial staffing costs to
create exhibits could be $1m -$2m a year for the first five years.

Funding will likely be through a combination of public and private sources, such as grants, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and fundraising events. The museum will also generate revenue through admission fees, gift shop sales, and other activities.

Likemost museums, the Museum of Denver will be a 501(c)3 non-profit. At this time, no building or physical location has been secured.

The Museum of Denver non-profit will be governed by a board of directors and eventually professional staff will be hired.

The organizing committee will seek input through community engagement. Eventually professional museum staff will be hired to create exhibitions.

Exhibitions, including interactive displays, multimedia presentations, artifacts, photographs, and artwork, will showcase the many stories that make up Denver’s diverse and multicultural history. Long-term exhibitions will share Denver’s core stories, while changing exhibitions will explore different topics on a rotating basis. The museum staff will work with community stakeholders in identifying and developing exhibitions and programs.

This has not been determined yet but many museums both own and borrow artifacts.

We are working as quickly as we can to create the Museum of Denver! But it takes a lot to make a new museum, from fundraising to securing a location to developing the exhibitions and programming, so it may take us several years. This website is the best place to keep track of our progress, and we’ll be sure to share good news here. If you would like to help us create the MOD, please reach out through the “Connect” page on this website.

The MOD would be eligible to apply as a Tier III organization after five years of serving the public as a 501(c)3 organization or after seven years to be able to apply as a Tier II organization.