The Leonardo Museum in Salt Lake City, installed since 2011 in the old municipal library building, announced its final closure on September 24, 2025, ending almost fifteen years of activity. In its press release, the museum invokes the dilapidation of a 61 -year -old building that has become difficult to exploit. “The infrastructures essential to the functioning of Leonardo, including escalators, elevators and plumbing, have reached the end of their useful lifespan”specify the administrators. They add: “Despite the efforts of the city and suppliers, these problems could not be overcome. »»
These technical reasons, however, cover a complex financial situation. From 2016, a design firm continued the museum for unpaid invoices. In 2017, the KUTV channel revealed that the institution had not paid its electricity bills for two years. In 2018, the debt reached $ 3.6 million, forcing management to seek loan guarantors. The following year, the mayor notified a formal notice for more than $ 600,000 in unpaid.
The difficulties go back to the creation of the project. In 2003, residents of Salt Lake City had approved an obligation of $ 10.2 million to finance the renovation of the building intended for the future museum. But in 2007, the mayor Ralph Becker temporarily suspended funding, wondering about the economic viability of the project. The funds were not released until 2008, after changes in management.
This prudence was justified: the old building of the library, built in 1964, already presented structural defects reported in the 1990s, which had motivated the transfer of the municipal library. These same weaknesses remain during the installation of the Leonardo. Insufficient attendance accentuated these weaknesses. Six months after its opening, the museum had only welcomed 40,000 visitors, against 151,000 for the Natural History Museum of Utah, inaugurated a month later.
The Leonardo had however presented several interesting exhibitions, including Body Worlds, Mummies of the World, the Dead Sea Manuscripts, the casts of victims of Pompeii, or even exhibitions devoted to aviation and Titanic.
However, the Salt Lake City building will not be abandoned. Ken Sanders Rare Books, a specialized bookstore installed since 2021 in the premises, continues his activity. The city also plans “Cultural uses for the space on the ground floor” and wishes to optimize “The rest of the building for administrative offices”.
