The Colorado History Museum A Journey Through Colorado's Past
Discover the rich and varied history of Colorado at the Colorado History Museum. Opened in 1977, this museum served as the headquarters and main museum of the Colorado Historical Society (now History Colorado) until 2010. Join us as we explore the fascinating development, exhibits, and legacy of this remarkable institution.
Introduction to the Colorado History Museum
The Colorado History Museum, the second major home of the Colorado Historical Society (now History Colorado), opened in 1977 to replace the Colorado State Museum (1915). Located on the south side of Civic Center in Denver, the modern museum was three times as large as the old State Museum, offering much greater space for exhibitions, programs, and offices. It served as the society’s headquarters and main museum until 2010, when it was demolished as the society prepared to move to the new History Colorado Center, which opened in 2012.
The Typewriter and the Box: An Architectural Marvel
By the 1960s, the Colorado State Museum was bursting at the seams. William E. Marshall, executive director of the Colorado Historical Society from 1963 to 1979, made a new building his priority. Ground was broken for the new building on May 7, 1975, and it opened in 1977. Conceived as part of a modern governmental complex, the Colorado History Museum shared the block immediately southwest of the State Capitol grounds with a new Colorado Judicial Center. Designed by Rogers Nagel Langhart (RNL), the buildings shared a spacious plaza and innovative postmodern designs, earning them the nicknames “the typewriter” and “the box it came in.”
Inside the New Colorado History Museum
Known as the Colorado Heritage Center from its opening in 1977 until the mid-1980s, the museum’s main feature was its cavernous underground space below the plaza. The lower level included offices for the curatorial staff and a large exhibition-planning studio. The first level included exhibition space, a large auditorium, and a reconstructed 1890s classroom. The second floor was dedicated to the library and its substantial collections, while the third floor housed the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP), administrative offices, and the publications office.
Developing the Exhibits: A Mammoth Task
After the new building was completed, the next big challenge was to fill some 30,000 square feet of exhibition space. The Colorado legislature had funded only the exterior of the building, leaving the society to raise $3 million for the interior, exhibitions, and furnishings. Executive director William Marshall arranged several interconnected geodesic domes, each highlighting the society’s highly popular Works Progress Administration (WPA) dioramas, offering visitors a miniature sense of Colorado history.
The Sudler Era: Filling the Museum’s Lower Level
In 1979, Barbara Sudler became the first female chief executive officer and State Historic Preservation Officer. She confronted the challenge of filling the museum’s vast, dark lower level and enlisted Bill Miner, designer of the US Bicentennial exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution, to help. By 1982, the exhibition featured a 150-foot timeline complete with artifacts from 1800 to 1950, a portfolio of William Henry Jackson prints, and several refurbished WPA dioramas, among other displays.
Expansion and Special Exhibits: Vatican Artifacts and More
Jim Hartmann assumed the presidency of the society in 1990. Under his leadership, the museum hosted an exhibition of artifacts from the Vatican Museum and Library during Pope John Paul II’s 1993 visit to Denver, its most popular exhibit to date. Hartmann also initiated a series of annual exhibits focusing on different decades of Colorado history, supplemented by issues of Colorado Heritage magazine.
Inmate Partnerships: Restoring Colorado’s History
In 1992, the society partnered with the state Department of Corrections to restore damaged artifacts. Inmates, many of them skilled craftsmen, worked to restore carriages, wagons, stagecoaches, and railroad passenger coaches, organized newspaper collections, catalogued artifacts, conserved books, and prepared exhibits. This innovative partnership significantly enhanced the museum’s exhibits and collections.
Diversity in Exhibits: Exploring Colorado's Rich Cultural Heritage
Under the directorship of Georgianna Contiguglia, the society developed exhibits exploring Colorado’s cultural diversity. These included “Cheyenne Dog Soldiers,” which explored Indigenous-white conflict, and exhibits on Buffalo Soldiers, pre-Columbian cultures, and Italian history in Colorado. These exhibits highlighted the rich and varied history of the state.
The Move to the History Colorado Center
In 2005, the Colorado Supreme Court proposed a new judicial building that would fill the block it shared with the Colorado History Museum. This necessitated a move for the museum. After considering various plans, the board selected a site a block south of the old museum. Funding for the new museum relied heavily on the State Historical Fund, generated by taxes on gambling.
The End of an Era: Transition to History Colorado
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