DENVER, CO.- In 1996, the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver (MCA) was formed to provide Denver with a major contemporary art museum. MCA has been instrumental in garnering widespread enthusiasm and support for the art of our time. In 2006, MCA will deliver a long overdue museum for world-class contemporary art to the Denver Metro area with the opening of our new 25,000 square foot home at 15th and Delgany.

In 2004, an Architect Selection Committee was formed and an international search was conducted for an architect to design "a place where architecture supports rather than defines the museum's mission." To activate public interest and challenge the selection process, MCA engaged in a six-week educational interview process with six architecture design firms engaging graduate students, high-school students, museum patrons, and thousands of new faces at public presentations where attendance grew to more than 900 people per lecture.

After much consideration, the Selection Committee and the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to select Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye to design the new building. David Adjaye is "more artist than architect. Known as an innovator with materials and a sculptor of light, he's also a rising international star," states the international architecture journal Azure (Spring 2004). The MCA commission is Adjaye's first U.S. building and his first museum worldwide.

MCA's new facility is visionary and elegant. It will be a 21st century city landmark and a tourist destination. It will contribute to the revitalization of Lower Downtown, in particular the Central Platte Valley district near the historic Union Station building.

MCA's visionary project is a vital component of Denver's growing cultural landscape and complements other important cultural development projects. According to CBCA "metro Denver cultural and scientific organizations generated $1.3 billion in economic activity in 2003 driving $497 million in new revenue to the metro Denver economy." MCA's new building will contribute to the city's economic strength and towards its growing reputation as one of the most exciting cities in the United States.