After years of plans, the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened on Sept. 24 near the Washington Monument. The structure celebrates freedom and protects some 33,000 unique artifacts, including an 80-ton railcar.
Smithsonian general contractors Clark/Smoot/Russell in 2012 broke ground on the five-story, 409,000-sq-ft structure, 60% of which is underground and built to withstand the area’s high water table. The $365-million job, which grew in cost to $540 million including construction and installation, was designed by architects Freelon/Adjaye/Davis Brody Bond/SmithGroupJJR.