On November 6, 2012, voters in
El Paso, Texas, approved $473 million in
government bonds for the city to use for quality-of-life initiatives in the community, including parks, libraries, and museums, with 76% of the voters supporting the measure. $19 million of this was set to be used for a children's museum. In January 2016, the city government purchased a
Greyhound Lines maintenance facility in
Downtown El Paso at 201 West Main Street for $1.27 million as the future site of the museum. Greyhound removed their underground fuel tanks and any asbestos in the building at their own expense. In exchange, the city granted Greyhound a ten-year lease of about of one of its
Sun Metro facilities for $114,409 per year. The city also attempted to purchase three surrounding properties, but property owners chose not to sell. In September 2016, the city approved a relationship with the EPC Museum Foundation under the El Paso Community Foundation so the EPC group would manage the development of the museum. That month, the EPC group announced that the budgeted $19 million from the 2012 bonds would be insufficient. They pledged an additional $10 million for the project, saying they would double their pledge if the city would donate another $20 million. This brought the estimated cost of the museum's development to $59 million in an effort to make the finished project "world-class". On July 23, 2018, the city council approved the additional $20 million in funding with a 6–1 vote. The one representative who opposed this, Michiel Noe, did so because he believed other bond projects were as important but not receiving sufficient funding compared to the children's museum. This decision faced some criticism from the community, because the taxpayer-funded government was now responsible for twice as much as voters previously approved in 2012.
Design In October 2018, Snøhetta was announced as the designer of the museum after winning the public vote. They proposed a building vaulted off the ground to leave space for an interactive garden below. Their design incorporated bright and open spaces into a building with over of floor space. At the time, construction was estimated to begin in early 2019 and conclude in late 2021 or early 2022. Snøhetta revealed a dramatically remade cloud-shaped design for the museum on October 1, 2020. The new design was and included four floors with multi-story glass windows, along with additional outdoor exhibits. ''
The Architect's Newspaper'' described the new design as "a much heavier, solid building topped with an undulating, cloud-like roof profile".
Construction On October 1, 2020, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the project, with children participating. While construction had officially begun on the museum, the EPC group announced that the
COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact the completion date. Along with the new design came a new budget totaling approximately $70 million, with the EPC group funding an additional $10 million for the project. The museum invited the community to suggest its new name in January 2021. Stephanie Otero, the vice president of the El Paso Community Foundation, said "We know what the outside of the building is going to look like, we know what the inside of the building is going to look like and what kinds of experiences people are going to have inside that museum. We don't know what to call it." The prize for the winning name was lifetime admission to the museum. After receiving over 600 suggestions, the museum announced on March 23, 2022, that it would be called , which is Spanish for . The name was announced at a ceremony at the
El Paso Independent School District's Aoy Elementary School, with attending students receiving free T-shirts promoting La Nube. At this point, the museum was estimated to open in early 2023. An
endowment fund was created for La Nube in November 2022, with its first donation being an undisclosed amount. La Nube caught fire on March 13, 2023, and the irregularly-shaped roof slowed the response of the
El Paso Fire Department (EPFD). Two days later, an investigation concluded that the fire was unintentional and started due to common construction methods while construction workers were on the roof. No exhibits were in the building yet, and the water damage from the EPFD's response was found to be more significant than the damage done by the fire itself. Repairs after the fire were completed by July, and the estimated opening was adjusted to 2024. On April 16, 2024, La Nube announced a final opening date of August 10. Prior to the launch, several "soft launches" were scheduled for staff recruitment and training. Leading up to the opening, the
El Paso Chihuahuas wore
Star Wars–themed jerseys for their game against the
Sugar Land Space Cowboys on May 4, auctioning the jerseys after the game and donating the funds to La Nube. After several years of delays, La Nube opened on August 10 with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony and public celebration. The celebration included science demonstrations, food trucks, and live performances. The final complex cost $72 million, with most of the funds raised through private donations. == Architecture ==