COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., June 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – June 9, 2017 – Groundbreaking was held today for the United States Olympic Museum and Hall of Fame (USOM) on a site in downtown Colorado Springs, overlooking America the Beautiful Park and Pikes Peak. Dubbed “Olympic City USA,” Colorado Springs is home to the United States Olympic Committee and more than 20 Olympic sport National Governing Bodies (NGBs) as well as the flagship Olympic Training Center. The museum is projected to open in summer of 2019.

The groundbreaking culminates four years of planning, fundraising and design for the iconic 60,000-square-foot museum dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympic athlete and the unique human spirit that creates Olympians. The USOM will be the only comprehensive Olympic and Paralympic museum in the United States.

A strategic and robust local and statewide fundraising effort has garnered commitments exceeding $75 million, which includes $26.2 million as part of the State of Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Regional Tourism Act. Several foundations have donated to support the museum, including the Anschutz Foundation, El Pomar Foundation, the Mary K. Chapman Foundation and the Lyda Hill Foundation. These foundation donors are in addition to significant support from corporate and private sector donors throughout the United States who recognize the importance of honoring U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Athletes with this iconic destination.

Former Ohio Governor and Ambassador Richard Celeste, chair of the museum board, said fundraising efforts will continue until grand opening to ensure cutting-edge exhibitions and robust operating capital.

It is expected that the museum will be the catalyst in the city’s plan for revitalization of southwest downtown Colorado Springs and a major economic driver for the entire Pikes Peak region.

The team assembled to make this project a reality “is extraordinary,” according to Celeste, and “comprises a group of the most sought-after museum design and visitor experience thought leaders in the world.”

The project is being designed by the interdisciplinary architecture and art studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) of New York City (www.dsrny.com). Colorado Springs-based general contractor GE Johnson Construction Company (www.gejohnson.com) will lead construction for the project. Architect of record is Anderson Mason Dale Architects of Denver (www.amdarchitects.com). The Barrie Projects, a Cleveland-based firm, has been hired to design the exciting and educational visitor experience and displays for the USOM (www.barrieprojects.com). Rounding out the team is Gallagher & Associates, an international museum strategic planning and design firm (www.gallagherdesign.com).

When open, the experiential museum and hall of fame will be a world-class destination containing the artifacts, media, technology and the myriad of stories behind the dedicated American athletes who follow their dreams, while showcasing the historical power and national pride surrounding the Olympic Games. It is expected to draw 350,000 visitors or more per year and become, along with Colorado Springs’ other dynamic tourist attractions, another driver of the important tourism industry to the local economy. Annually, tourism brings almost $20 billion to the Colorado economy and employs over 260,000 people. In Colorado Springs, tourism ranks as the city’s third-largest industry, providing $70 million in local tax revenue annually and employing 17,000 people.

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For more information about the United States Olympic Museum visit: www.usolympicmuseum.org

To follow the USOM on social media: www.twitter.com/usolympicmuseum

For current renderings and other graphic assets: www.usolympicmuseum.org/media-kit

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/33367b49-5fca-4460-8d5f-bd9873462c4f