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A bigger, bolder museum - the first in Utah to fuse science, technology and art - has run into cold, cruel economics.
The executive director has stepped down. East Coast engineers have been substituted by locals with cheaper estimates. And now The Leonardo may see a more-modest renovation for $11 million - less than half the original cost - which would be funded primarily by a 2003 taxpayer-approved bond.
After "a sober assessment of present-day economic and budgetary realities," organizers said Tuesday, they have scaled back their vision for Salt Lake City's former Main Library in a move that would allow them to open a renovated center by next fall.
"We have essentially re-scoped the project," said Peter Giles, former head of The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif.
Giles was named this week as The Leonardo's new executive director, replacing Mary Tull, who stays on as director of community partnerships and support for the planned science center.
Huddling with The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board Tuesday, The Leonardo team said it foresees next month's hotly anticipated "Body Worlds" exhibit propelling the center's profile, drawing excitement and donations. Giles expects 300,000 visitors to attend the four-month run, which begins Sept. 19. Adult admission for the display will be $22.
The center's latest moves come in the wake of an apparent denial from Sorenson Legacy Foundation to give The Leonardo $5 million to $8 million for naming rights. Sorenson announced this week it is giving $12 million for a new arts and education center at the University of Utah.
Tull said individual elements inside the museum may receive monikers, but naming rights as a strategy is not part of the latest plan. "We wanted to be conservative so we're not factoring that in."
In 2003, Salt Lake City voters approved a $10.2 million bond for The Leonardo, whose executives have raised several million more from private donors and government grants. Officials also hope to tap tax credits for the landmark building and establish a network of members who will pledge toward the downsized project.
"There's actually enough money in hand to do this project," said Allen Roberts, a board member and Salt Lake City-based architect who helped conceive the draft plan for The Leonardo on a pro bono basis.
If the $11 million upgrade is approved by the City Council, the project would be competitively bid.
Roberts said some of the upgrades seemed "excessive," noting the bones of the old library building are sufficient for the art and science center.
Seismic work, solar panels, infrastructure overhauls and energy-efficient designs still are planned. All three floors will be renovated, but an addition to the building's north end has been scrapped.
A second phase, for $5 million, calls for renovating the second floor for exhibit space. A third phase, for another $5 million, calls for classrooms and a catering service. No time-line for either has been set.
"It's a different project," Giles said. "It's not quite apples to apples" when compared with the original concept.
"They had to do something," said Councilman Carlton Christensen, noting the loss of naming-rights money from Sorenson "clearly had a huge effect."
"They have to somehow face reality," the veteran councilman added, "and I'm not sure they've done that very well over the last couple years."
The planned museum still will incorporate the Utah Science Center, which merged with The Leonardo last month, along with founding partners Youth City Artways and the Center for Documentary Arts.
Councilman Eric Jergensen said the city initially favored a phased approach "before it morphed into this huge thing." Now he wants assurances the museum never will need another subsidy. "This is going to be a tough, tough sell."
Mayor Ralph Becker received the revamped plan Tuesday and reserved comment pending a thorough review. "He will certainly be looking for a strong demonstration from The Leonardo of fiscal independence and sustainability in the long term," said spokeswoman Helen Langan.
The Leonardo team plans to meet Tuesday with council members about the latest plan and urge them to release the $10.2 million bond.
Christensen said the council might put off that request until "Body Worlds" wraps up in January.
The city, he emphasized, wants to ensure The Leonardo's revised model is sustainable.
"They're probably on eight lives out of nine."
Leonardo's ups and downs
* The Leonardo's first price tag was $26 million. A smaller version with no third floor then was proposed for $19 million. Organizers now propose renovating the museum for $11 million.
* If approved by the city, The Leonardo could include a catering service, a restaurant and retail space, along with interactive science exhibits, classrooms and an auditorium for possible Sundance Film Festival projects.
What's next
* Leonardo officials plan to discuss their scaled-back proposal Tuesday with Salt Lake City Council members.