The U.S. Olympic Museum is underway in Colorado Springs.
A groundbreaking was held today for the 60,000-square-foot museum dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympic athlete. The USOM will be the only comprehensive Olympic and Paralympic museum in the United States.
The museum will be located in downtown Colorado Springs, overlooking America the Beautiful Park, at Sierra Madre Street and Vermijo Avenue in southwest downtown.
The museum is projected to open in summer 2019. The experiential museum and hall of fame will feature artifacts, media, technology and stories behind American athletes. It is expected to draw 350,000 visitors or more per year. Additionally, the museum is expected to be the catalyst in the city’s plan for revitalization of southwest downtown Colorado Springs and a major economic driver for the entire Pikes Peak region.
The project is being designed by the interdisciplinary architecture and art studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro of New York City. Colorado Springs-based general contractor GE Johnson Construction Co. will lead construction for the project. Architect of record is Anderson Mason Dale Architects of Denver and The Barrie Projects, a Cleveland-based firm, has been hired to design the educational visitor experience and displays for the USOM. Rounding out the team is Gallagher & Associates, an international museum strategic planning and design firm.
A local and statewide fundraising effort for the museum has garnered commitments exceeding $75 million, including $26.2 million as part of the state of Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade Regional Tourism Act.
