July 14, 1999
Mayor Announces Creation Of The City Museum Of Washington, D.C.
Washington, DC -- Mayor Anthony A. Williams, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and the Historical Society of Washington, DC today announced the creation of the City Museum of Washington, DC in the historical landmark Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square.
Participants included Mayor Anthony A. Williams, Deputy Mayor Douglas J. Patton;
T.C. Benson, Director, Save America's Treasures of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Stephanie Madden, White House Millennium Council; and Barbara Franco, executive director, Historical Society of Washington, Inc.
The Carnegie Library has been designated as an official project of Save America's Treasures, a public-private partnership between the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Launched in May 1998, the project is a national effort to protect America's threatened cultural treasures, including significant documents, works of art, maps, journals and historic structures that document and illuminate the history and culture of the United States.
"In a city full of federal buildings and national monuments, this magnificent building will house the history of the great people who built this city and have contributed to the rich history of our neighborhoods," said Mayor Anthony A. Williams. "I would like to commend all those public-private partnerships that have contributed generously to making this museum possible."
Washington, DC is one of the few major urban centers in the nation and the world that does not have a museum devoted to its history. The Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square has been selected as the ideal building for the museum by the Historical Society of Washington. In an unprecedented move, the District of Columbia provided the Society with a 99 year lease at the rate of one dollar a year for the use of the library. The Society has made a commitment to operate the museum which will preserve collections, house exhibits and present public programs that tell the story of the city. Construction will begin in the year 2001 and the museum will open in 2003.
CITY MUSEUM OF WASHINGTON, DC FACT SHEET
Purpose: In partnership with Mayor Anthony A. Williams and the DC Office of Planning and Economic Development, the Historical Society of Washington, DC will create and operate the City Museum of Washington, DC in the landmark Central Public Library, familiarly known as the Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square.
Facility:
60,000 square feet, three levels
Theater, Galleries, Library and Education Wing
99 year lease with the DC Government
Funding: Public funding:
$2,000,000 Congressional Appropriation
$2,000,000 Convention Center Authority
Private funding:
$11,000,000 to be raised
Construction: Construction to begin in 2001
Projected opening in 2003 - One Hundredth Anniversary of the Carnegie Library
