Ute Indian Museum to Celebrate Expansion with Groundbreaking Ceremony
DENVER – On Wednesday, December 2nd, at 1:00 P.M. the Ute Indian Museum will celebrate the start of its expansion with a groundbreaking ceremony. The ceremony will kick off an approximately 3,350-square-foot expansion that will allow added capacity for event rentals, educational and program space, and a renewed exhibit on Ute culture and history.
“The Ute Indian Museum is an important Community Museum for History Colorado,” said Steve Turner, Colorado State Historic Preservation Officer and Co-Lead for History Colorado. “Originally built in 1956, the museum celebrates the history and the living culture of Colorado’s longest continuous residents. It is one of the few, possibly only, state-owned museums dedicated to a single indigenous group – the Ute people.”
The State of Colorado recognizes the importance of this museum and its need for updates and renovation. In early 2013, the State approved $2.4 million to renovate the Ute Indian Museum building. In addition, the exhibits, which are more than 50 years old, will be replaced with new, more relevant interpretation. History Colorado is raising private support for the exhibits and smaller projects beyond the scope of the building. History Colorado has worked in consultation with the three Ute tribes on the building design and new exhibits during the last several years to develop a collaborative project. The expansion is designed by local Colorado architect Daniel Gartner of Chamberlin Architects, in partnership with local general contractor PNCI Construction, Inc.
Speakers for the groundbreaking will include Chairman Clement Frost, Southern Ute Indian Tribe; Chairman Manuel Heart, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; Chairman Shaun Chapoose, Northern Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation; Steve Turner, Colorado State Historic Preservation Officer and Co-Lead of the Transition Team at History Colorado; and Mayor David Romero, Montrose.
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History Colorado's mission is to inspire generations to find wonder and meaning in our past and to engage in creating a better Colorado. We serve as the state's memory, preserving the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through our museums, educational programs, historic preservation grants, research library, collections, and outreach to Colorado communities. Find History Colorado on all major social media platforms. Visit HistoryColorado.org or call (303) HISTORY for more information.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Shannon Haltiwanger
Public Information Officer | Preservation Communications Manager