The historic McNichols Building in Civic Center Park across from the Denver Art Museum is the planned home of a new International Center for Snowsport History and Art. Bernie Weichsel, chairman of the U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and a director of the International Skiing History Association, made the announcement in early November. Weichsel is projecting a $2-million dollar capital campaign to finance the Center.
After opening in January 2013 the new Center would house elements and rotating exhibits of art and artifacts from the renowned Beekley International Collection of Skiing Art and Literature, the Ishpeming-based national museum of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, the Vail-based Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum, and a ski equipment history collection curated by Snowsports Industries America, whose annual trade show takes place in Denver.
“We hope to open in time for the SIA trade show in January, 2013,” Weichsel said. The Greek Revival McNichols Building, constructed originally in 1910 as the Carnegie Library, is a three-block walk from the Denver Convention Center where the industry trade show takes place.
The new ski history and art center would occupy 9,000 square feet of space on the third floor of the McNichols Building after an “appropriate rental fee” is negotiated with the building’s owner, the City of Denver. The space would include a gift shop and theatre.
“We’re very enthusiastic about the project,” says Natale Messina, trustee for the The Mason Beekley Collection of Skiing Art and Literature, which has been seeking a home after spending the last six years in Mammoth Lakes, California.
“It’s a good plan,” said Messina, “and the other parties involved seem like good groups we’d want to be associated with. The location and access we like. It will attract a lot of people.”
As at Mammoth, space would not allow all of the hundreds of posters and paintings in the Beekley Collection to be exhibited at once. Items not on display will be held in storage also used by the Colorado Museum, near Golden, Colorado.
“A lot of work remains to be done,” notes Colorado Museum chair David Scott: create an organization and a nonprofit corporation with an independent board of directors; establish a budget, raise funds and apply for grants, hire staff, and renovate the space. The establishment of the Denver site in no way affects the operation of CSSM’s facilities in Vail, he said, except to build a wider audience for its mission.
Seth Masia
Seth Masia is the online editor for the International Skiing History Association. He began skiing at Chamonix in the summer of 1968 and joined the staff of SKI Magazine in 1974. He now teaches skiing at Vail (see Ski Younger Now). In real life he is editor of SOLAR TODAY magazine.
