One icon, two audiences: how the Denver Art Museum used their new building to both brand the city and bolster civic pride

Abstract

Iconic architecture can draw global attention while simultaneously speaking to local audiences. In 2006, the Denver Art Museum opened an iconic new wing that help brand the city as a cultural city for both external and internal audiences. Based on analysis of interviews with stakeholders and archival documents, this paper demonstrates that the Hamilton Building project was used both to brand the city for potential tourists and to engender civic pride in Denver residents. This research provides a complex understanding of what roles iconic architecture plays in a city.