The United States Olympic Museum and Hall of Fame has announced the team chosen to design and construct the interactive museum in the heart of Colorado Springs. The team includes Anderson Mason Dale Architects of Denver who will serve as the architect of record; Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, a New York design studio, as the design architects; Gallagher and Associates from Washington, D.C. as exhibit designers; Pacific Studio of Portland, Oregon, to be the exhibit fabricators; and GE Johnson of Colorado Springs as the general contractor.
Announcing the team, Richard Celeste, president of the U.S. Olympic Museum Board, said, “Our Olympic and Paralympic athletes set the highest standards of achievement. We believe we have assembled a world-class team to honor these athletes with a building and experience that captures the spirit of, and honors those achievements.”
Joey Cheek, three-time Olympic medalist and a member of the U.S. Olympic Museum Board added, “We’re excited to share the stories and experiences of some of the greatest athletes in the history of the world.”
Liz Diller, the lead designer for Diller, Scofidio + Renfro said, “It’s a rare opportunity to be part of a team that will bring the stories of U.S. Olympians and the Olympic movement to the public in a building structure. The challenge for the architecture will be to embody the elegance of form, dynamism and strength so characteristic of the athlete and the appearance of effortlessness and without an ounce of fat!”
Jim Johnson, CEO of GE Johnson, noted “GE Johnson Construction Company is honored to be selected as the construction manager/general contractor for the United States Olympic Museum project. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, GE Johnson has constructed many projects in the region that include private and public money. However, the significance of a one-of-a-kind structure such as in the United States Olympic Museum increases the visibility and accountability from the donors, athletes and visitors.”
Speaking on behalf of the community and the City for Champions project, Mayor Steve Bach said, “I am excited by this important step in making a world-class Olympic Museum a reality in our community. The United States Olympic Museum and Hall of Fame is a key element of our City for Champions initiative. I join my fellow citizens in eagerly anticipating the design and construction of this new community asset.”
Members of the team are in Colorado Springs for two days to kick off the project design process. The target date for the opening of the museum and hall of fame is early 2018, prior to the Winter Olympics.
Background on the firms selected:
- The design architect, Diller, Scofidio + Renfro is an interdisciplinary design studio that integrates architecture with the visual and performing arts. Based in New York City, the 120-person studio is led by Liz Diller, Ricardo Scofidio, Charles Renfro and Benjamin Gilmartin, who work collaboratively on the design of each project. DSR projects include: redevelopment of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, expansion of the Museum of Modern Art, and High Line Park, all in New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; The Broad Museum, Los Angeles; and the Museum of Image and Sound, Rio de Janeiro.
- The architect of record, Anderson Mason Dale Architects is a 40-person firm located in Denver. For 37 years, AMD has designed buildings for colleges and universities, schools, libraries, cultural venues, justice facilities and housing. AMD’s local work includes the UCCS Lane Center, the El Paso County Terry R. Harris Judicial Complex and Colorado College’s Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center.
- The exhibit designer, Gallagher and Associates, is an internationally recognized museum planning and design firm with offices in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco and Asia. G&A has extensive expertise in creating experiences that promote regional tourism. The firm has collaborated locally on the WWII Aviation Museum at the Colorado Springs Airport, and on projects such as the White House Visitor Center, the College Football Hall of Fame, the LBJ Presidential Library and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
- The exhibit fabricator, Pacific Studio is an internationally recognized exhibit and art production studio. Pacific Studio projects include the International Spy Museum, the College Football Hall of Fame, Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry and the Museum of Organized Crime.
- The construction manager and general contractor, GE Johnson Construction, based in Colorado Springs, has constructed more than $1 billion in projects in the Pikes Peak region. Johnson continues his father’s legacy of philanthropy and building relationships in the communities in which they work. As the largest general contractor in Colorado Springs, GE Johnson employs more than 100 people locally and more than 400 throughout Colorado and surrounding states. GE Johnson specializes in cultural and museum spaces that reflect the character of their communities and act as gathering places for people and ideas. GE Johnson claims more than $7 billion worth of construction projects in 14 states and offices in three states.
These world-renowned firms responded to the request for proposals and request for quotations posted by the United States Olympic Museum in March 2014. The museum selected finalists for interviews from hundreds of local and national firms. A blue-ribbon panel consisting of local architects, U.S. Olympic Museum board members, Colorado Springs civic leaders, philanthropists and design and construction professionals interviewed the candidates.
The breadth and depth of experience among the Olympic Museum’s team is enhanced by Barrie Projects, a museum and cultural planning firm helmed by Kathleen and Dennis Barrie that has been a consultant to the museum and collaborator on its initial feasibility study. Barrie Projects has created museums dedicated to the history of rock ‘n’ roll, international spying and organized crime. Working with Barrie Projects is Michael Devine, with expertise in business planning for museums and other cultural ventures.
The U.S. Olympic Museum and Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs will be the only comprehensive Olympic and Paralympic museum in the United States. An iconic complex to be built in downtown Colorado Springs, the museum will be a pilgrimage site containing the artifacts, media, technology and the myriad stories behind the dedicated American athletes who follow their dreams, while showcasing the historical power and national pride surrounding the Olympic Games.
For more information, visit usolympicmuseum.org.
