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A brief history of how Meow Wolf started and our original location in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Treehouse inside the Forest, Photo by Kennedy Cottrell.
The original Meow Wolf location, House of Eternal Return, opened its doors in 2016, but the Meow Wolf origin story stretches back nearly a decade before when a collective of creatives shook up the traditional art scene of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Find out about the Meow Wolf Santa Fe story and discover the many mysteries that lie within.
Meow Wolf’s founding group consisted of artists from various backgrounds with different talents, like design, acting, engineering, writing, painting, and sculpting. They made art for people like themselves, who didn’t fit in the fine arts world and didn’t want to experience art in a gallery or museum. Their work began with temporary exhibits around the city, like The Due Return at Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe, which grew to be so popular that a larger, permanent location became inevitable.
This particular group of artists found their own place and made their own rules; no one had to question if they belonged or not. They wanted a place to experiment with their creativity and play around in.
At first, they worked with what they had, then somehow managed to get financial backing from Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin to buy the bowling alley that became the very first Meow Wolf location.
And so, in 2016, the construction of House of Eternal Return began. Over the course of 2 years, more than 100 artists transformed the 33,000 square-foot space into an other-worldly immersive art installation. In March of 2016, its doors officially opened and the original Meow Wolf was born.
“In my opinion, there are very few cities that this would have been possible to create such a wildly unique exhibition as the House of Eternal Return, it was kind of a perfect storm of people, place, and time that supported, produced, and opened the portal that carried us to where we are today,” says Geoffrey Banzhof, Senior Fabricator.
As our first project, House of Eternal Return will always have a unique place in Meow Wolf’s story. The Meow Wolf Santa Fe story is one of creativity and experimentation that makes it unlike any other installation.
“The House is so special, it’s got a scrappy-ness to it that makes it feel unlike any of the other locations in the best way possible,” explains Anna Isenberg, Visitor Services Coordinator. “It’s full of such special important moments that only exist because we were still a small company and not ‘Meow Wolf The CorporationTM’.”
There’s no map, no pressure, just curiosity and imagination driving the path forward through a nexus of colorful, chaotic creations. This was the approach for creating the original Meow Wolf and the same can be said for exploring the hidden passageways and tunnels that lead to more magical rooms.
The artists who worked on House of Eternal Return didn’t have a lot of money or experience with such a massive project. They learned how to solve problems as they came up and didn’t let imperfections hold up the process of sharing their creations.
Steven Brisk, Visitor Services Team Member, explains: “At the House, you can see that this is a true labor of love. It was built from nothing but found materials in our immediate environment. The House is representative of the ‘organic’ aesthetic of Meow Wolf.”
House of Eternal Return is a scene straight out of science fiction: an old Victorian house inhabited by a family that has been swept into another dimension through a spiraling void inside a former bowling alley.
Walking up to House of Eternal Return doesn’t feel otherworldly, like a very modern multiversal transit station or light projections on a 36-foot canyon behind an alternate reality grocery store. It feels like stopping by to say hi to a neighbor who doesn’t mind if you grab a drink from the fridge. House of Eternal Return is supposed to feel “lived in”, so seeing a well-worn couch in a cozy tree nook is a simple reminder that things don’t have to be perfect or brand new to be appreciated.
But a mystery lies beneath the surface. The home belongs to the Selig family, who suddenly vanished one night after conducting a forbidden experiment inside their Victorian mansion.
The familiarity of the ordinary rooms and objects encourages visitors to be curious about the missing Selig family who walked on the same floors and opened the same dryer. Who were the Seligs? Where did they go? Whatever happened defied time and space…and it’s your mystery to solve.
Meow Wolf Santa Fe is a living, breathing thing. It’s always opening portals into new dimensions. Discover the newest worlds within House of Eternal Return.
Nothing works up an appetite like interdimensional travel. That’s why we added Float Cafe & Bar in 2018. Like the House, Float’s offerings are familiar, yet otherworldly. Hot togs topped in transcendent green chili queso, deep fried PB&Js, and a drink menu that’s as out there as we are. Get a meowgarita with butterfly pea and a cotton candy float and watch the transformation in real time.
Fancy Town is Meow Wolf’s world-famous concert venue, constructed from flotsam and jetsam collected from the space between worlds. Some of the best concerts in Santa Fe happen in this cosmic village. Enter its doors for all kinds of entertainment, from concerts and DJ sets to art classes and more.
No two Meow Wolf exhibits or experiences are the same. Just because you have seen House of Eternal Return doesn’t mean you’ve seen it all. Since your last visit, maybe someone uncovered a clue on a table that you didn’t see before.
Want more? Watch the Meow Wolf: Origin Story to get the full picture of where it all started or check out our Behind the Scenes playlist to get a closer look at some of the rooms inside House of Eternal Return.
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