American History museum to reopen in November.By BRETT ZONGKER – 15 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — A special new gallery for the flag thatinspired the national anthem will debut in November when theSmithsonian's National Museum of American History reopens after alonger-than-expected renovation, the museum announced Wednesday.The Nov. 21 reopening of the home of Kermit the Frog and Dorothy'sruby slippers coincides with the 145th anniversary of AbrahamLincoln's Gettysburg Address, the famous Civil War speech deliveredon Nov. 19, 1863. The museum will give visitors a rare chance tosee the White House copy of Lincoln's handwritten speech forseveral months. The document is usually kept in the Lincoln bedroomand must be back before the next president moves in. Glassware "We want visitors to come away with a deeper understanding andappreciation of the American dream and what it has meant to be anAmerican," said museum director Brent Glass. A visit to the flaggallery, he said, "will be memorable and inspiring. It will be oneof the must-see destinations in Washington, D.C."
The museum had been slated to reopen this summer, but officialssaid unexpected asbestos and lead paint discovered duringconstruction caused some delays in the $85 million project. Thebuilding, which usually draws millions of visitors each year, hasbeen closed since September 2006. The asbestos cleanup cost anadditional $2 million, Glass said.
The nation's most popular history museum is in the midst of a majormakeover. In addition to the new flag gallery, the museum's centralcore will be opened up with a skylight to brighten spaces that hadbeen dark and cavernous.There's also an effort to make the museum more "green" with cafesthat forego disposable items in favor of real plates andsilverware, along with locally grown foods, and carpet and chairsmade from recycled materials.The museum will be reorganized around a central atrium, which Glasscalls the "public square." It will become a place fornaturalization ceremonies for new immigrants, musical performancesand other events. Like other public squares around the world, themuseum will become a place "to exchange information and ideas,"Glass said.Beginning with the reopening, the museum plans to have historiccharacters walking around peaking with visitors every weekend andon holidays, as well as tours, theater and musical programs.The iconic artifact will remain the 30-by-34-foot Star-SpangledBanner. Its new gallery is specially designed to allow visitors'eyes to adjust from the bright sunlight of the atrium to a dimlylit space that will protect the flag and depict "the dawn's earlylight."The distance between the light and dark spaces was carefullyplanned to allow visitors' eyes to adapt as they approach the flag,said Gary Haney, design partner with the architectural firmSkidmore, Owings and Merrill, which designed the space. "Ithopefully will be something that no one notices, but it's a verydelicate operation."Part of the exhibit will show how the flag has been preserved.As visitors approach the flag, they'll first learn about the War of1812 and the burning of Washington. A piece of charred timber fromthe White House will "really anchor people in that moment," saidJames Gardner, associate director of curatorial affairs. "We thinkthat's something that will make visitors go 'Wow!'"The idea is to set the historical scene before visitors see theflag. "We are at war with the greatest empire on earth," curatorJeffrey Brodie said. "The survival of the nation is at stake."After the British destroyed the White House, they moved north tothe commercial hub of Baltimore, where Francis Scott Key penned thewords that would become the national anthem. The flag gallery willinclude some of the sights and sounds of the kind of battle hewitnessed."There will be a fragment of a bomb that visitors can touch —'The bombs bursting in air ...,'" Brodie said. "You'll actually seewhere those words came from." |
