Pueblo Unveils $16M Leonardo da Vinci Museum on Historic Riverwalk

The Leonardo da Vinci Museum of North America opens June 12 on the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk in Pueblo, occupying a space that has sat empty since the Professional Bull Riders left 17 years ago.

It is a $16 million gamble on culture and commerce, wedged between a revitalized river channel and a new boathouse. The timing isn’t random. The river expansion project was finishing its final stretches just as founder Joe Arrigo identified the vacant building as a viable home for the museum.

“There’s occasionally this crease of time where you align with elected officials and can get things done,” said Lynn Clark, executive director of the riverwalk.

That alignment is visible in the dust and the noise. Locals walking the riverwalk see ceiling-to-floor shades pulled down against the southern Colorado sun, but they can still peer inside. They see Joel Carpenter, one of three artists in residence, working on a massive interpretation of The Last Supper. He expects to finish the mural in early July, meaning early visitors will likely watch him paint.

The museum isn’t just a local curiosity. It is part of a global network. Representatives from the Artisans of Florence signed cooperation agreements in Italy on April 18 with five other institutions following the same model. The network includes permanent locations in Florence, South Korea, and Pueblo. Traveling exhibits are set up in Australia and Brazil. A new partner in China is in the works, though details remain sparse.

The Pueblo location will display works created by artisans using da Vinci’s 15th and 16th-century scientific drawings. Think drones, robotics, and flight concepts, rendered in art form.

But the real story for Pueblo is the physical transformation of the riverfront. The museum is opening just weeks after the new boathouse and event center.

“I’m trying to get moved into the (boathouse) building, and people keep showing up trying to get in,” Clark said. “There’s a lot of excitement in town.”

She paused during a phone interview to tell someone on the other end, “We’re not open yet — next week.”

The building itself has a history. It served as the headquarters for the Professional Bull Riders for nearly two decades before sitting empty. Now, it’s being prepped for a different kind of crowd. The windows facing the river are being fitted. The ticketing and gift shop areas are taking shape.

For neighbors who have watched the riverwalk evolve over the last 16 years, this is the culmination of a long build-out. The river channel expansion alone cost millions, aiming to reduce flooding while creating a public space that actually functions as a public space. Adding a museum and an event center changes the dynamic from passive recreation to active destination.

The museum’s focus on science and art bridges two disciplines that don’t always mix. Da Vinci wasn’t just a painter; he was an engineer. The museum aims to reflect that duality. The Artisans of Florence, the group behind the project, has been expanding its footprint internationally, but Pueblo’s status as a permanent host distinguishes it from the traveling shows in Brazil and Australia.

Clark notes that the synergy between the infrastructure projects and the cultural addition is rare. Getting the river channel fixed, the boathouse built, and the museum installed in such close proximity required precise coordination.

“The fact that the two buildings will open within a few weeks of each other is serendipitous,” Clark said.

The buzz on the ground is palpable. Passersby stop to look in. Workers are moving in. The shades are up. The murals are taking form.

Clark is already fielding questions about what comes next. The museum is just the first piece of the puzzle. The boathouse will host events. The riverwalk will host people.

“There’s a lot of excitement in town,” she said.

It’s a shift from a river that was once a hazard to manage to one that is now an asset to cultivate. The da Vinci museum is the flag planted in that new ground.