This rendering shows what an exhibit about the Lincoln Memorial statue will look like in the undercroft.

/ National Park Service

Demonstrators peacefully protest in 2020 at the Lincoln Memorial as heavy storm clouds move in. Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU

The National Park Service is moving ahead with its plans to construct new museum exhibits underneath the Lincoln Memorial. The agency chose a contractor to do the work who will begin construction in March, NPS said Monday.

NPS announced in 2017 it would convert the 15,000 square-foot “undercroft” — the cavernous area below the memorial — into new exhibit space and other facilities open to the public. The $69 million project is funded with $43 million from The National Parks Foundation and private donors — including $18.5 million from D.C. philanthropist David Rubenstein — and $26 million from the park service.

 

The new museum will be in the undercroft beneath the Lincoln Memorial. National Park Service

The exhibits will include the projection of historical events on the foundations of the space. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls will also provide a view of the undercroft. Visitors can also learn about the significance and achievements of Abraham Lincoln, singer Marian Anderson — whose 1939 performance on the memorial’s steps made history — and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The project will also include adding restrooms, building a second elevator to access the chamber, expanding exhibition space, and relocating the bookstore and retail area to the undercroft, according to plans submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, which reviews projects on federal lands in the District.

The upgrades come just after the 100th anniversary of the memorial, which the park service and the memorial celebrated in 2022.

This rendering shows what an exhibit about the Lincoln Memorial statue will look like in the undercroft.National Park Service
A rendering shows the exhibit area in the Lincoln Memorial undercroft.National Park Service
Floor to ceiling windows will show the Lincoln Memorial's underside once the project is complete.National Park Service
Images of the memorial and its history will be projected onto the undercroft foundations.National Park Service
The project is meant to provide the public more access to the lower parts of the memorial.National Park Service
The project, which will also add more public bathrooms, is expected to be complete in 2026.National Park Service

 

 

“The undercroft of the Lincoln Memorial, long hidden from public view, offers a fascinating setting to learn more about America’s 16th president and the memorial that honors him,” Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said in a statement. “Thanks to the National Park Foundation and its generous donors, visitors will be able to view this dramatic architectural feature, learn about how the memorial was built, and how its meaning has evolved over the last century.”

Access to the memorial steps and main chamber with Lincoln’s statue will remain open to the public during construction, but the basement area exhibits, restrooms, and the elevator will close this spring. Instead, NPS will set up temporary restrooms, a bookstore, and a handicapped-accessible lift while the project is ongoing.

Construction is expected to be completed by 2026.

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