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SANTA FE, N.M. — Meow Wolf, which has roared in Santa Fe by turning an abandoned bowling alley into an immensely popular interactive art installation, will open its second, much larger exhibition in Denver.

In an announcement Thursday, the arts group said it will break ground on a five-story, 90,000-square-foot permanent installation later this year in the Mile High City, with a projected early 2020 opening.

About 60,000-square feet will be dedicated to the exhibition, and the remaining 30,000 will be for the lobby and other non-arts spaces — in all about triple the size of Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe. Spokesman John Feins confirmed the project has an estimated $50 million cost and Meow Wolf will have a 20-year, $60 million lease with development partner Revesco Properties.

“It’s an amazing step forward for us,” CEO Vince Kadlubek said at a news conference. “We have been putting a lot work into finding our next site, and Denver really grabbed us (and) pulled at our hearts ever since we started looking at the city.” Meow Wolf also considered other major markets like Austin, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

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The House of Eternal Return, which opened in March 2016 in the old Silva Lanes with financial help from “Game of Thrones” novelist George R.R. Martin, attracted 400,000 in its first year and yielded millions in revenue. Kadlubek said the space, an all ages funhouse full of clues about its fictional inhabitants’ strange existence, is on track to see 500,000 visitors in its second year.

A news release Thursday says Denver installation will have an “entirely new narrative and creative vision,” but details of the concept won’t be available until later this year. Chief Operating Officer Sean Di Ianni said the company has put out an RFP to Denver artists for the concept and about 100 are currently working on proposals.

The new building will be in a triangular-shaped site at the intersection of I-25 and Colfax Avenue near the South Platte River, not far from the Pepsi Center, Mile High Stadium, Elitch Gardens Theme Park, the Denver Aquarium and other attractions. The structure will extend both above and under the major roads.

First floor plans show an 800-person-capacity concert venue, gift shop, dining space and lobby that Di Ianni said will provide an introduction to the art installation and its story. “Once you enter the building, you’ll be in a new world,” said Di Ianni.

He added that the elevators leading to other floors will act as “portals” to the exhibition.

Meow Wolf settled on the nearly 4-acre location, which Di Ianni described as “funky” with “bizarre parameters” because of viaducts that surround the space, with the help of Revesco Properties. The firm is a real estate investment and management company that also owns the nearby Elitch Gardens. Currently on the property is the theme park’s human resources offices, which will be demolished.

“What excites me about adding this amenity… it continues the energy that has been created among the river and the Northwest side of town,” said Revesco president and CEO Rhys Duggan. He said Meow Wolf will be the area’s “anchor tenant.”

Meow Wolf is no stranger to Denver. In 2017, it helped sponsor the CRUSH and Maker Faire Denver arts festivals as well as its Great American Beer Festival, and CEO Vince Kadlubek spoke at Denver Startup Week. Meow Wolf’s DIY Fund created last year has also provided funding to nearly 20 Denver arts groups.

“From my perspective, there’s a vibrancy… and a realness to it,” Kablubek said of Denver, “that has yet to be completely squashed by the growth of a really successful city.”

Kadlubeck said fundraising for the project will be ongoing over the next two years. As a first step, Meow Wolf has started selling early bird general admission for $25, $50 pre-sale tickets for the opening weekend to 20,000 people, $1,000 tickets to an opening gala and 100 lifetime passes for all Meow Wolf offerings for $10,000. General tickets will be go on sale Jan. 1, 2019.

The news release also promised new expansion projects, which could include additional Meow Wolf permanent exhibitions, to be announced throughout early 2018.

“Over the past two years, hundreds of thousands of visitors have explored House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe and thrilled to its unique blend of mystery, fantasy, and fun—a world of imagination made tangible by the amazing artists of Meow Wolf,” novelist Martin said in the announcement. “Now those same artists, and some new ones, will be showing us new wonders, new terrors, and new beauties in a new city, for all those who dare to follow.”