Title: DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE
Location Current Site: Denver CO UNITED STATES
Creator Assoc Person Name: Wiederin,Jacob
Creator Assoc Person Role: Photographer
Date.Creation: 1898-1908
Subject.Image Description: East facade
Subject Image View Type: Exterior, general view
Description.Subject Report: The Denver Museum of Nature and Science offers an exciting insight to the realm of natural science. In addition to include Colorado’s native plant and animal species, the museum has showcases of pre-historic man and is a great place for students and adults to learn about nature and science. The museum, formerly know as the Colorado Museum of Natural History, has been in the making for over a century. Beginning in the 1870’s, gold miner and taxidermist, Edwin Carter started collecting objects of Colorado’s native animal and plant species. He housed them in his log cabin in Breckenridge, Colorado. Today, the museum has been moved to City Park in East Denver, CO and contains more than a million objects available for viewing in dioramas and displays. The Denver building opened in July 1908, and has had five major additions made to the first construction. The original building was created in 1898. The first post-construction addition was the Phipps Auditorium in 1940, then Gates Planetarium in 1968, followed by the IMAX Theater in 1983, and fourth was an 187,000-square-foot addition in 1987. The most recent renovations were the Leprino Family Atrium and Anschutz Family Sky Terrace in 2002. These additions have kept the Denver Museum of Nature and Science at the top of the historical and educational fields. These additions are important because they provided a new way for the viewers and information to interact. Each addition has had unique benefits, and now they are an integral piece of the exhibitions. The add-ons have proven to be very successful, which explains why the current administrators are adding the large-scale project deemed, “20/20”. The future plans for the museum include a new Science Engagement Center, a consolidated facility for the “one-of-a-kind” resources, and other inclusive permanent exhibitions. The first part of the 20/20 project, completed in April 2009, is called Expedition Health and demonstrated the museum’s dedication to enhancing interactive learning.
In addition to being a great place to learn about the natural world, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science hopes to undertake a renovation that would be LEED certified. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and the Green Building Certification Institute awards buildings of such an honor. A building that follows LEED qualifications is considered “green” because it follows energy saving criteria like solar panels or reusing materials that would normally be thrown away. A LEED addition to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science will further its importance by being a positive influence on society and the environment.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science was started with the small cabin collection of Edwin Carter, and the museum has now grown into one of the most developed museums of natural science in western society. In one year, the museum impacts the minds of almost 200,000 students, teachers, and adults. As the museum continues to grow, it will fuel the coming generations with healthy knowledge about human interactions with the natural world (Jacob Wiederin, 2010).
ID Number.Former Image Accession VISC: 194118
Rights Description: Copyright owned by The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate, and the photographer. All rights reserved.
Source.Requestor Full Name: Lickteig, Lynn
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