Wikipedia

Museum of Utah

The Museum of Utah is the state history museum of Utah. Operated by the Utah State Historical Society, it also houses the state's history research center and is located at the Utah State Capitol complex in Salt Lake City, Utah. The museum is expected to open in June 2026 and will be the state's first history museum.

Museum of Utah
North Capitol Building, housing
the Museum of Utah
Museum of Utah is located in Utah
Museum of Utah
Museum of Utah
Location within Utah
Established27 June 2026 (2026-06-27)
LocationSalt Lake City, Utah,
United States
Coordinates40°46′43″N 111°53′18″W / 40.7787°N 111.8882°W / 40.7787; -111.8882
Typehistory
Collection size
30,000 items[1]
DirectorTim Glenn[1]
Architectsajc architects[2][3]
VCBO Architecture[2][3]
OwnerState of Utah
Websitehistory.utah.gov/museum

Description

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The museum and its accompanying collection facility take up 67,854 square feet (6,303.8 m2) on two and a half floors of the North Capitol Building. This includes the public exhibit spaces, classroom space, staff offices, conservation areas, and storage space. The basement collection level, which stores objects not on display, is isolated from the upper floors of the building, and includes different environmental zones to provide different protection to varying collection types.[2][3][4]

Exhibits

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The society's collection includes 30,000 objects, however only approximately 950 will be on display at a time, with items being regularly rotated between storage and exhibition.[1] One of the flagship pieces of the collection includes the Mormon Meteor III.[5]

The main floor of the building houses the museum's four permanent galleries, which include:

  • Becoming Utah: Focuses on Native Americans in Utah and early settlers, including the Mormon pioneers[6]
  • Connecting Utah: History of events, faith, shared experiences, sports and so forth[6]
  • Building Utah: Growth and history of Utah's industries, cities and infrastructure[6]
  • Inspiring Utah: Highlights the state's pop culture[6]

Artwork

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Capping the building's four-story atrium is a 25-by-25-foot (7.6 by 7.6 m) glass window, made of 14,000 individual pieces of colored glass. Designed by Holdman Studios, it cost $1.6 million. Symbols of Utah, such as Dead Horse Point, Rainbow Bridge, the Pando aspen clone, a Rocky Mountain elk, Bonneville cutthroat trout, and Utahraptor skull are found within the artwork.[7][8]

Construction and opening

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Prior to building the museum, the state historical society's collection of artifacts, photographs, manuscripts, and books were stored in the basement of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot. The depot was not equipped for proper storage of the collection nor was the building strengthened against earthquakes, so by 2018, the historical society was asking the Utah State Legislature to fund construction of a new building.[9]

Over the next few years, the state developed plans to replace the 1961 State Office Building on Capitol Hill with a new structure to house the state's historic collection. While the museum was still in the planning stages, the 2020 Salt Lake City earthquake struck the Salt Lake Valley, causing damage to the depot building, but sparing the historical collection.[10] However, due to necessary repairs to the depot building, the collection had to be moved to temporary storage in 2021, where it would remain until the new museum was finished.[11]

On June 15, 2022, state leaders broke ground on the new structure.[12][13] The completed building includes a basement with four upper stories. It was built atop 99 base isolators which support the structure, protecting it against earthquakes from the Wasatch Fault below. Initially estimated to cost $165 million, due to the 2021–2023 inflation surge, along with the state's desire to enhance the structure, the final cost was $320 million. Known at first as the "North Capitol Building," a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the structure was held January 16, 2026.[14][15] In May 2026, the Capitol Preservation Board voted to rename the North Capitol Building in honor of former Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt.[16]

The museum, which occupies the first floor of the structure, is expected to open on June 27, 2026.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Benson, Lee (May 3, 2026). "The past will finally meet the present with Utah's first ever state historical museum". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on May 4, 2026. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Museum of Utah and Collection Facility: North Capitol Building". AIA Reflexion. Vol. Pub 6 2025–2026, no. 1. Salt Lake City: AIA Utah and newsLINK Group, LLC. 2025. pp. 22–25. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Collins, Ashley; Attig, Julee (2025). "North Capitol Building Under Construction". AIA Reflexion. Vol. Pub 6 2025–2026, no. 1. Salt Lake City: AIA Utah and newsLINK Group, LLC. pp. 26–27. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  4. ↑ Fryer, Brian (May 20, 2024). "Fulfilling the Historic Vision For Utah's Capitol Complex". Engineering News-Record. New York City. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  5. ↑ Williams, Carter (September 3, 2025). "Utah acquires historic hot rod for new state museum. Here's when you'll be able to see it". KSL-TV. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on September 4, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Williams, Carter (July 31, 2024). "What to expect from the Museum of Utah when it opens in 2026". KSL-TV. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  7. ↑ Tomco, Brigham (May 19, 2025). "One-of-a-kind stained-glass dome will top Utah's new Capitol building". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on May 20, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  8. ↑ McKeller, Kaite (May 19, 2025). "'One-of-a-kind' stained glass dome unveiled atop new Utah Capitol north building". Utah News Dispatch. States Newsroom. Archived from the original on May 19, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  9. ↑ Williams, Carter (March 1, 2018). "Here's what's in Utah's historical archives and why it needs a new building". KSL-TV. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  10. ↑ Williams, Carter (March 19, 2020). "'We got really lucky': Utah's historic archives appear to be OK after earthquakes". KSL-TV. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  11. ↑ Williams, Carter (August 26, 2021). "Utah's massive history collection to temporarily move as Rio Grande building gets retrofitted". KSL-TV. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  12. ↑ Williams, Carter (June 15, 2022). "Utah breaks ground on $165M North Capitol Project as old state office building comes down". KSL-TV. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Gov. Cox and Lt. Gov. Henderson join a groundbreaking ceremony for a new building north of the state capitol" (Press release). Salt Lake City: Utah Governor's Office. June 15, 2022. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  14. ↑ Williams, Carter (January 14, 2026). "A tour inside Utah's new, 'one of a kind' North Capitol building". KSL-TV. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on January 15, 2026. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  15. ↑ Ginos, Becky (January 16, 2026). "Ribbon cutting celebrates completion of North Capitol Building". Davis Journal. Bountiful, Utah: The City Journals. Archived from the original on June 20, 2026. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Capitol Preservation Board votes unanimously to name North Capitol Building in honor of former Governor Michael O. Leavitt" (Press release). Salt Lake City: Utah Governor's Office. May 6, 2026. Archived from the original on May 13, 2026. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
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