Denver is creating a new museum dedicated to the city’s history and culture at the McNichols Civic Center Building, the Johnston administration announced on Wednesday.

“A museum highlighting Denver’s rich history and culture at the historic McNichols Building will create a one-of-a-kind, memorable space for locals and tourists alike to learn about our great city,” Mayor Mike Johnston said in a news release.

The move, Johnston said, builds upon downtown Denver’s cultural heritage.

With the second floor reserved for museum space, the city plans to continue hosting private events and exhibits on other floors in the building, the mayor’s office said. The city also intends to explore future food and beverage options, the office said.

“We’re thrilled to begin the process that will bring an educational and entertaining space to Civic Center Park for the community to enjoy, while creating a downtown that is vibrant, culturally enriching and economically prosperous,” Johnston said in the release.

Johnston has launched an aggressive and expensive campaign to “further activate” the area, part of his efforts to make downtown Denver a “vibrant” and safe area for residents and visitors. Downtown Denver has been plagued by a persistent perception of crime, open-air drug use in certain areas and homelessness, though a business chamber said things have improved in recent months and people feel safer since the mayor’s push to shutter encampments and move homeless people into shelters.

In addition to promises to keep the area safe and help businesses survive a major construction project, Johnston is pushing for the expansion of the Downtown Development Authority. The authority funds projects through tax increment financing or “TIF,” which means it collects sales and property taxes within the area to invest in infrastructure improvements.

The idea is to generate a steady stream of revenue that would be used to borrow money for projects. The revenue would allow the city to invest up to $500 million in the area, which has been struggling to attract visitors since the pandemic hit.

Johnston previously said that downtown is in an “existential fight” for its identity and he told development and housing professionals at a real estate conference in March that the next year-and-a-half will be a critical time to renew downtown’s vibrancy.

Denver has sent out a “request for information,” which officials said would help the city better understand the interest and capabilities of a third-party organization or a business in developing and managing a museum aimed at highlighting Denver’s history and culture.

“We are still in the very early steps,” said Benjamin Heinemann, a spokesperson with Denver Arts and Venues. “So, we don’t have specifics to share just yet.”

The announcement comes on the heels of Denver’s Outside Festival, which sought to highlight Colorado’s outdoors and tourism industries.

The park, which has also been utilized in the winter months for Denver’s Christkindlmarket, is also the home of a massive Christmas tree during the holidays.

Johnston isn’t the first mayor to try and “revitalize” the Civic Center Park.

Under then-Mayor Michael Hancock, Denver Parks and Recreation shut down the park in a bid to clean it up and improve safety around it, a move that came after a triple shooting left one man dead and two others injured.

Homeless people also slept in and around the park, openly defying the city’s camping ban.

During the closure, the city spent about $600,000 in safety improvement and $1.5 million in staffing.

More work is needed for the park to reach its potential and every little bit can help, said Eric Lazzari, executive director of the Civic Center Conservancy.

“We are working in close partnership with the city on the revitalization of Civic Center Park, and the McNichols Building is a really beautiful and useful part of our work to keep the park active and thriving for all,” Lazzari said. “The continued programming and beautification of the building benefit everyone who uses the park, and we’re excited by what’s to come in the building.”

The McNichols Building has stood in Civic Center Park for more than 110 years, first opening its doors as the Carnegie Library in 1910 after a $200,000 donation from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Forty-five years later, however, the city outgrew the library and it moved to a different location, prompting the Denver Water Board to move in, according to the building’s website.

By 2016, the building had been renovated twice, following a renaming to McNichols after Colorado’s 35th governor, Stephen McNichols.

Now the city wants to continue to honor its legacy as a library and center of learning, while also giving Denver an outlet to tell its own story, Heinemann said.

“We don’t currently have a museum dedicated to the history and culture of Denver specifically, while many other cities across our state and country do,” he said.

The museum will anchor the McNichols building as a hub for art and culture as the building approaches its 125th anniversary, Deputy Director for Denver Arts and Venues Jen Morris said.

“The building has a tremendous history as a center for learning in Civic Center Park,” Morris said. “This is an exciting time for those who have long cared about the McNichols Building.”