July 2007

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

U.S. Capitol Visitors Center

Construction continues on the $522 million Capitol Visitors Center complex, a state-of-the-art facility designed to educate, entertain and enhance a visit to one of the city’s most recognizable buildings. The visitors center covers an area roughly three quarters the size of the Capitol itself, spreading across 580,000 square feet on three levels below ground. Projected to open in late 2008, the facility will include a great hall, where visitors can obtain tour tickets in climate-controlled comfort and view the Capitol Dome through grand skylights; an educational exhibition gallery which relates the history of Congress and the Capitol; two orientation theaters that show an introductory film to prepare visitors for their tour of the Capitol; a dining facility with a capacity for 600 people; and two gift shops.

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Washington, DC National Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

The latest memorial on the National Mall will honor the Civil Rights activist in a fitting location on the Tidal Basin, opposite the Jefferson Memorial. Using natural elements, the memorial will convey themes of democracy, justice and hope. Natural elements such as the crescent-shaped-stone wall inscribed with excerpts of his sermons, and public addresses will serve as the living testaments of his vision of America. The centerpiece of the $100 million memorial, the “Stone of Hope”, will feature a 30-foot likeness of Dr. King. The ceremonial groundbreaking took place in Nov. 2006, and the memorial’s completion is slated for 2009.

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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

The Smithsonian Institution is developing its latest museum on the National Mall, the national Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum will be located between 14th and 15th Streets, adjacent to the Washington Monument and across from the National Museum of American History. While the museum’s content is currently under development, it will explore African American history on a national level, examining such topics as slavery, the Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance and the civil rights movement.

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