Pueblo will soon be home to North America’s first and only Leonardo da Vinci museum

Pueblo was granted final approval by the Colorado Economic Development Commission for North America’s first and only Leonardo da Vinci Museum.  The museum will feature interactive exhibits and life-sized machine replicas from da Vinci’s drawings and sketches.  The museum’s approach will center on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) as an educational guide to problem solving. The museum is expected to open in the late fall of 2025.  It will be located in the former Professional Bull Riders center near the Arkansas Riverwalk in downtown Pueblo.  They also have plans for an outdoor café to be named Café Leonardo.

Part of the final decision making was a ten-year exclusivity memorandum of understanding with the Italian craftsman’s organization, the Artisans of Florence.  The memorandum ensures that Pueblo will be the only permanent da Vinci museum in the United States.  Other da Vinci museums are located in Italy, France, South Korea, Brazil and Australia. Members of the Artisans of Florence recently toured the building and loved the location.  Tom Rizzo, Director of Artisans of Florence, was quoted recently as saying “We absolutely love this location.  It checks all our boxes.  The location couldn’t be better, right next to the Convention Center.  We really think that here we can partner and collaborate with so many local businesses and make a thriving hub for Pueblo”.

In 2022, the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center held a “Da Vinci Machines and Robotics” event.  It showcased more than 60 machines and reconstructed art pieces based on the master’s work. The City of Pueblo will be kicking off a capital campaign to begin fundraising.  All of the old equipment in the building will need to be moved before the building can be renovated.  A design team will begin work soon.

For more information about the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of North America, visit www.leonardomuseumna.org

By: Barbara Crimond