When Was the Denver Art Museum Built?

The history of the Denver Art Museum is such that the museum as it is known today wasn’t really “built” on a certain date. The Denver Art Museum is both an organization and a building with an interesting history.

In 1893, the Denver Artists Club was founded as a group of artists located in the Denver, Colorado area. These artists hoped to work together to bring art to the city and make it available to the public for viewing and enjoyment. The club prospered and, in 1916, was renamed the Denver Art Association.

As their collection of art and list of participating artists grew, so too did the crowds that came to see the works. In 1918 the group moved their set-up to their first official “gallery.” This was the City and County building of Denver at the time. Along with the move, they also formally changed the name of the organization to the Denver Art Museum.

As time passed and the museum became a cultural focal point for Denver, the organization continued to grow and change. By 1954, they had officially outgrown their home in the City and County building, and they made another move into the first building that was officially built for them (rather than purchased or leased from another owner). This building was built in the location where the museum currently stands, and is, in fact, still in use today and is known as the Morgan Wing.

Current Buildings

By 1971, the museum was ready to expand once again, and the current building as it now stands was constructed. Now referred to as the North Building, this architectural treasure is what most people think of as the Denver Art Museum.

What makes the North Building so special? Designed by famous architect Gio Ponti along with local Denver architect James Sudler, the North Building is composed of an astounding 24-sided shape, which rises for seven total stories and houses all of the most important works of the museum’s collection. The building is finished in unique gray tiles that encompass the exterior; the tiles were made particularly for use on the building itself and appear nowhere else in America.

The North Building, as impressive as it is, was not the end of the building saga for the Denver Art Museum. In 2006, a second story was added to the original Morgan Wing; interestingly, this story (known as the Duncan Pavilion) was meant to be a temporary structure, but as of now many visitors have come to see it as an indispensable part of the beauty of the construction.

Finally, also in 2006, the Frederic C. Hamilton Building was added to the mix and put under construction; this titanium and glass addition to the museum’s court opened in 2006 but has required some major repairs during the past several years, leaving its future undecided. 

The ebb and flow of interest and public traffic to an art museum often depends on the works inside, and based on their impressive collection- as well as the beautiful, if ever-changing, aesthetics of the museum itself - the Denver Art Museum can reasonably expect a secure future filled with plenty of visitors.