Spy Museum to Move to Mt Vernon Square
9/24/2013 - link update bottom of post
According to a report in the Washington Business Journal, the International Spy Museum will be moving to the Carnegie Library in Mt Vernon Square.
From Washington Business Journal:
"Events D.C., the District's convention and sports bureau, plans to redevelop the Carnegie Library with the owner of the International Spy Museum in order to create a new home for the museum.
The project would add 58,000 square feet of new space to the library, including 40,000 square feet underground for the spy museum and a "sculpted glass pavilion" on the building's north side, facing Mt. Vernon Place NW. The pavilion will house a visitors' center, cafe and the retail store for the museum.
The International Spy Museum, which opened in 2002, is a major tourist draw for the District, attracting approximately 600,000 visitors per year.
The move will "ensure the long-term sustainability" of the museum, said Peter Earnest, founding executive director of the museum.
Events D.C. took over management of the Carnegie Library from the Historical Society of Washington in 2011. The building is owned by the District government and Events D.C. has 86 years left on its long-term lease of the space.
“With Mt. Vernon Square at the Convention Center’s doorstep, each of
these proposed uses are perfect complements to our mission of creating
economic and community benefits for the District of Columbia,” Events
D.C. president and CEO Gregory A. O’Dell said in a statement. “Given the
rapid pace of growth in the immediate area, including CityCenter DC and
the Washington Marriott Marquis, we envision this project becoming the
northern anchor of a conventions and entertainment district that will
stretch all the way down to Pennsylvania Avenue.”
The Historical Society's offices will also get a revamp as part of the project, with new offices, a new gallery and storage and a modernized research library.
The project is a partnership between Events D.C. and the Malrite Co., the Cleveland, Ohio-based owner of the museum. As part of the deal, the Malrite Co. owners Milton Maltz will turn the Spy Museum into a nonprofit corporation that will be the Carnegie Library's primary tenant.
"The founder of the museum, Milton Maltz, head of the Malrite Co., ... felt this would be a good move for the museum, both in terms of having additional space and in gifting the museum to the community," Earnest said.
That additional space — a substantial increase from the museum's current 20,000 square feet of exhibit space — will allow for temporary exhibitions, something that is integral to any museum's success, the executive director said.
"You may have people who support the work of a museum, but unless you
bring in new things, changing things, it's hard to keep bringing them
back," Earnest said.
The museum's future proximity to the Washington Marriott Marquis, the Convention Center and CityCenterDC also make it a good move, he added.
No cost estimate for the project was immediately available. Construction is expected to begin in 2015 with the library's grand re-opening in 2017. Once its new space is open, the Spy Museum will move out of its space at 800 F Street NW."
More information here: The second great article by Rebecca Cooper at Washington Business Journal - 9/24/2013
Personally, I hope this plan goes through, I love the Carnegie Library and its park, but as much as the District has tried, nothing has stuck, and it just seems a beautiful, but wasted space. Kudos to Greg O'Dell and Events DC for putting this together.
Attributes: Most Content from Washington Business Journal and Rebecca Cooper
Additional Content & Photographs by Badwolfdc
According to a report in the Washington Business Journal, the International Spy Museum will be moving to the Carnegie Library in Mt Vernon Square.
"Events D.C., the District's convention and sports bureau, plans to redevelop the Carnegie Library with the owner of the International Spy Museum in order to create a new home for the museum.
The project would add 58,000 square feet of new space to the library, including 40,000 square feet underground for the spy museum and a "sculpted glass pavilion" on the building's north side, facing Mt. Vernon Place NW. The pavilion will house a visitors' center, cafe and the retail store for the museum.
The International Spy Museum, which opened in 2002, is a major tourist draw for the District, attracting approximately 600,000 visitors per year.
The move will "ensure the long-term sustainability" of the museum, said Peter Earnest, founding executive director of the museum.
Events D.C. took over management of the Carnegie Library from the Historical Society of Washington in 2011. The building is owned by the District government and Events D.C. has 86 years left on its long-term lease of the space.
The Historical Society's offices will also get a revamp as part of the project, with new offices, a new gallery and storage and a modernized research library.
The project is a partnership between Events D.C. and the Malrite Co., the Cleveland, Ohio-based owner of the museum. As part of the deal, the Malrite Co. owners Milton Maltz will turn the Spy Museum into a nonprofit corporation that will be the Carnegie Library's primary tenant.
"The founder of the museum, Milton Maltz, head of the Malrite Co., ... felt this would be a good move for the museum, both in terms of having additional space and in gifting the museum to the community," Earnest said.
That additional space — a substantial increase from the museum's current 20,000 square feet of exhibit space — will allow for temporary exhibitions, something that is integral to any museum's success, the executive director said.
 |
| Facing Mount Vernon Place, there is a planned "sculpted glass pavilion" The pavilion will house a visitors' center, cafe and the retail store for the museum. |
The museum's future proximity to the Washington Marriott Marquis, the Convention Center and CityCenterDC also make it a good move, he added.
No cost estimate for the project was immediately available. Construction is expected to begin in 2015 with the library's grand re-opening in 2017. Once its new space is open, the Spy Museum will move out of its space at 800 F Street NW."
More information here: The second great article by Rebecca Cooper at Washington Business Journal - 9/24/2013
Personally, I hope this plan goes through, I love the Carnegie Library and its park, but as much as the District has tried, nothing has stuck, and it just seems a beautiful, but wasted space. Kudos to Greg O'Dell and Events DC for putting this together.
Attributes: Most Content from Washington Business Journal and Rebecca Cooper
Additional Content & Photographs by Badwolfdc
Comments
Post a Comment