The Butterfly Pavilion solidified its Westminster roots on Monday, entering into a tentative partnership with the city to keep its well-loved campus location and begin renovations.
Limited details were available about the early-stage partnership between Westminster and the invertebrate zoo, but both parties signed a letter of intent to keep the Butterfly Pavilion at its current Westminster home, according to a news release from the organization.
Zoo officials hope to begin a multi-stage renovation and expansion project in the near future, but no dates have been set, spokesperson Jennifer Quermann said in an email to The Denver Post.
“Together, we’re not just building a new campus — we’re investing in curiosity, conservation and community,” Butterfly Pavilion President and CEO Ryan Welch said in the release.
Representatives from the Butterfly Pavilion canceled plans to expand the zoo to Broomfield earlier this year, according to reporting from the Broomfield Enterprise.
That transition, which would have included a new , was first proposed in 2018. The axed Broomfield campus would have been more than double the size of the Butterfly Pavilion’s current 30,000-square-foot building in Westminster.
But zoo officials said in February that the move is “no longer feasible in today’s economy,” citing a changing business landscape, the Enterprise reported.
In a 2022 interview with Broomfield Enterprise, the former CEO of the pavilion said the new space would become “the global hub for invertebrate research, conservation and education.”
That goal remains the same, even as the invertebrate zoo looks to expand its Westminster footprint instead of moving elsewhere, according to Monday’s news release.
The Butterfly Pavilion has been part of the Westminster community for more than three decades. It celebrated its 30th anniversary in July.
“This new chapter ensures that families who live, work and play in Westminster will continue to have access to one of the most unique, inspiring places in the country, right in their own backyard,” Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally stated in the release.
Westminster has committed to providing land for expansion and long-term support for the zoo’s growing education and conservation plans, .
The current plan is to enhance the current site and also develop an expanded, state-of-the-art campus on adjacent city-owned land at 104th Avenue and Westminster Boulevard, zoo officials wrote on the webpage.
Future expansion will bring new immersive exhibits, cutting-edge research labs, expanded educational programs and open community spaces, Quermann said.
“This is the first step in a larger journey,” she said, referring to the letter of intent’s signing.
Planning is underway to for growth, funding opportunities and a shared vision that serves the community while advancing invertebrate conservation efforts, Quermann said.
Rosie the Tarantula, arachnid star of the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, is retiring
