![Denver Art Museum Architectural Model](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/06/denver_art_museum_architectural_model-1.jpg)
He’s not a household name, at least not in this country. But Italian architect Gio Ponti left his mark on Colorado in the form of the Denver Art Museum, that gray, fortress-like building overlooking Civic Center Park. A new exhibition at the museum tells the story of how Ponti came to design the seven-story building, which opened in 1971. It’s called, “Then, Now, Next: Evolution of an Architectural Icon.” That “next” part refers to the museum’s plans to renovate and expand Ponti’s only U.S. building.
![Gio Ponti](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/06/gio_ponti-2.jpg)
Ryan Warner spoke with Darrin Alfred, the Denver Art Museum’s associate curator of architecture, design and graphics.