It’s a wrap for the Newseum, at least at its current location near the U.S. Capitol: Visitors have until December 31, 2019 to pay a visit.

Officials announced earlier this year that Johns Hopkins University would buy the sleek, modern building at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue for $372.5 million.

The museum moved to the piece of prime real estate in 2008, and at the time was one of the most expensive museums ever built. But like so much of the industry that it chronicles, the Newseum has long struggled to stay afloat financially. The Freedom Forum, which founded and operates the museum, underwent a review in 2017 to figure out funding and priorities.

“It has become obvious that the current model—where the Freedom Forum is the primary funder of the Newseum—cannot continue indefinitely at this level,” Jan Neuharth, chair and CEO of the Freedom Forum, said in a statement at the time. “Left unchecked, this deficit spending rate would eventually drain the Freedom Forum’s entire endowment.”

The organization put the building on the market in early 2018, and Johns Hopkins announced plans to purchase it in January of 2019.

The university operates a number of D.C.-based graduate programs, including its School of Advanced International Studies, with more than 3,000 faculty, staff, and students here. The school will now bring them all under one roof, selling properties it owns in Dupont to finance the sale.

To accommodate its educational needs, Johns Hopkins is planning extensive renovations to the building. In a presentation to the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts, the university said it plans to relocate the main entrance and fill in the recessed window at the current entrance to add program space, amid other changes to the exterior. Construction could begin as soon as the fall of 2020, with an expected opening date in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Newseum has said it plans to reopen in another building. But it’s not clear when, or even if, that will be possible. Officials said this week that they “hope to eventually find a new location but that process is going to take time.”

After the closure, two hallmarks of the museum will be taken down: the display of newspaper front pages and the 74-foot tablet with the First Amendment etched onto the building’s facade.

Previously:
The Newseum Is Selling Its Iconic Building To Johns Hopkins
As Financial Woes Continue, Newseum Considers Selling Its Building