Bringing a historic brick building back to life as a hands-on discovery museum for families across the region.
Project overview
Leonardo’s Children’s Museum is one of Enid’s most beloved destinations. The project transformed a historic brick building into a hands-on discovery museum — preserving exposed brick, original wood floors and industrial character while adding bold yellow steel trusses, open exhibit halls and a lighted tower that glows over downtown at night.
Henson’s role
Adaptive reuse projects are full of unknowns. Henson assessed existing structure and masonry, coordinated structural reinforcement, brought the building up to modern life-safety codes for public assembly, and protected historic fabric along the way. Exhibit designers need power, data and rigging in very specific places — coordination Henson’s project manager run from the start.
The result
A one-of-a-kind museum where old meets new — and where thousands of children and families explore every year.
Scope of work
- Adaptive reuse of a historic brick building
- Structural reinforcement and exposed-steel feature trusses
- Masonry restoration and new storefront entries
- Refinished original wood flooring
- Exposed mechanical systems and modern life-safety
- Exhibit-ready power, data and lighting infrastructure
- Exterior tower lighting and signage
