A major new wing is opening at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, refreshing the City Park institution’s historic east entrance and adding a sleek new lobby and handsome indoor-outdoor gathering place for visitors.
The newly named was supported by a $20 million donation from the Sturm Family Foundation — the largest private donation in the museum’s history, officials said. That paid for the complicated, four-year renovation and construction of both visible and behind-the-scenes aspects of the museum, said Julia Spalding-Beegles, director of experiences and partnerships.
The renovation, which was the museum’s largest project since redesigning the popular Space Odyssey exhibit in 2020, took place in two phases. The first upgraded the theater, where large-format documentaries and other films are screened, and included replacing the bowl-shaped stage with a flat one and adding technical enhancements such as a hearing loop that delivers audio directly to seats (connecting with hearing-impaired guests who use hearing aids and cochlear implants).
The second phase included the lobby and exterior renovation, some new construction, and new outdoor seating and landscaping.
“That’s the most noticeable part, with the historic staircase and facade getting (a refresh),” Spalding-Beegles said. “We added ramps to the Sturm Plaza that go into the atriums, where formerly it was just stairs for egress, and now guests can take their lunch outside, we can have indoor-outdoor events, and we have an expanded lobby after knocking out some old offices. Now there’s a built-in bar — and you can take your drink outside during evening events.”
The public, however, will only see the outward aspects, including that sleek new lobby, upgraded theater, and covered outdoor seating and landscaping that offers much-needed rest and shade for visitors.
“I’ve definitely discovered the limits of my laptop battery working outside under the new canopies,” she said. “It’s cool, it’s green, and it’s beautiful. And there’s a coffee cart outside now, too.”
A ribbon-cutting for the new wing is scheduled for 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1, preceded by remarks from George Sparks, the museum’s president and CEO, and Susan Sturm, chair of the Sturm Family Foundation.
A grand opening for the public runs from 4 to 9 p.m. (no registration required). Museum admission is free all evening, although theater tickets are sold separately. That night the large-format screen is hosting the Denver premiere of “Penguins: A Love Story” as well as “T. Rex 3D” in the Sturm Infinity Theater.
There will also be hands-on activities, live science demonstrations and live music, plus outdoor dining in the newly constructed area just to the side of the stairway, and food and drink available for purchase from the museum’s T.Rex Cafe.
The plaza itself will be open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily for events, gatherings and post-show meet-ups.
The project makes fundamental changes to the existing Sturm Family Plaza and Sturm Infinity Theater, both inside the museum, while turning the east entrance into a dedicated doorway to the theater, with the stunning new lobby that feels both inviting and upscale. Patrons can still enter the theater from the second level inside the museum.
New accessibility includes the added ramps, upgraded elevator service and a new sidewalk intended to connect surrounding neighborhoods and bus riders to the museum, the museum said.
“We are deeply grateful to the Sturm Family Foundation for the vision and generosity that made this transformation possible,” Sparks said in a statement. “These transformed spaces belong to the community, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone from near and far.”
Perhaps the most impressive element is the Sturm Infinity Lobby, which takes a page from upscale performing-arts venue lobbies such as the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, The wide space’s sleek, stylish design includes warm lighting, cushioned seating around square pillars, a new and fully stocked bar, and upscale fixtures that give it an elegant feel. It’s being pitched as a rentable meeting and event space, in addition to being the Infinity Theater’s new entrance.
Among the engineering surprises was the “delightful” rediscovery of a 1938 terrazzo floor in the lounge level, a “unique and beautiful” work of art that had been covered up since 1986 or 1987, Spalding-Beegles said.
“It was covered with maroon carpet, which was lovely in the 1980s,” she said with a laugh. “We didn’t think we’d be able to save it, but we pulled back the carpet and restored it.”
The museum is in the midst of other major overhauls, including a $30 million redo of its popular Gems & Minerals Hall, which closed in April. The project will expand the hall by 50% and “reimagine it as the Dea Family Gems & Minerals Hall — an immersive, multi-sensory journey inspired by the big idea that ‘My World is Made of Minerals,’ ” according to a DMNS statement earlier this year.
There’s also the ground-up reimagining of what was formerly called the North American Indian Cultures hall, a 45-year-old exhibit that closed in June 2023. Museum curators and officials have been working with Indigenous representatives to update, assess and in some cases, repatriate some of the 1,000-plus artifacts included in the outdated exhibit.
