Clyfford Still Museum

A grove of Planetrees and Oaks shelters Allied Works’ mineral museum for an Abstract Expressionist from the busy Denver Arts District.

One of Denver’s Cultural District destinations, the Clyfford Still Museum is dedicated to the visionary artist’s life and work. The one-acre site is an intimate reprieve from the vast scale of the district and as a threshold to the museum’s experience of Still’s expressive work. An earthen plinth negotiates the six-and-a-half-foot grade change across the site and grounds the building. A grove of tightly spaced London planetrees and English Oak populates the upper lawn to provide a shaded forecourt to the museum. Benches invite informal gatherings, and encourage visitors and neighbors to contemplate the site and the museum’s architecture. Paths scissor up the landform and across the plinth to connect the museum and its park to the adjacent streets and institutions.