Construction Update June 2015: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Construction Update June 2015: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Occupying the last available space on the National Mall, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will be situated prominently between the National Museum of American History and 15th Street, next to the Washington Monument. When it opens to the public in 2016, the museum will be a centerpiece venue for ceremonies and performances, as well as a primary exhibition space for African American history and culture.

Architectural renderings

Photos from May 18, 2015
Click image below to enlarge

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Photos from June 28, 2015
Click images below to enlarge

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Architects

Designed by a joint venture of Freelon Adjaye Bond and SmithGroup

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Construction Contractors

Lowering of the Louisiana State Penitentiary – Angola guard tower into the museum

Clark Construction Group
American owned and operated since 1906, Clark Construction Group is one of the nation’s most experienced and respected providers of construction services.

Smoot Construction
Smoot Construction is one of the largest minority-owned construction firms in the country. From its office in Washington, D.C., Smoot has developed a diverse portfolio that includes educational facilities, convention centers, healthcare, research/industrial facilities, commercial office buildings and sports facilities. Since its first project in the Washington area in 1967, Smoot Construction has been involved in building some of the District’s most high profile public projects including partnering with Clark at the Walter E Washington Convention Center, the Verizon Center, and Nationals Park

Smoot is owned by the Smoot family, founders of The Smoot Corporation and its construction operations is in Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Ind. These entities trace their roots back to 1946 to the commercial masonry contracting business established by the founder, Sherman R. Smoot, in Charleston, W.Va. The guiding principles that he established – character, humility, integrity, pride, and performance – still guide the firm today.

H.J. Russell & Company
Since its founding in 1952, H.J. Russell & Company has grown to become the fourth-largest minority-owned business (MBE) in the United States, as well as one of the nation’s single largest MBE construction firms. Featured among ENR’s Top 100 CM at Risk firms, H.J. Russell has experience constructing high-profile facilities within a wide variety of markets including cultural/public assembly facilities, sports facilities, commercial offices, educational and institutional facilities for public and private clients.

Over the past six decades, excellence has been the hallmark of H.J. Russell. Herman Russell, the company’s founder, believed “by being your best and never accepting mediocrity, you will be paid back tenfold.” By committing this belief to practice, the company has evolved into one of the most successful and recognized African-American-owned companies in the country.

H.J. Russell & Company was founded by Herman J. Russell, who in 1953 earned a B.S. degree in Building Construction from Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).
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A Monumental Project
It took over 80 years, but a museum dedicated to African-American history and culture is finally taking shape on the National Mall in Washington
CBS 60 Minutes -Video
http://www.cbsnews.com/common/video/cbsnews_video.swf
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Video: Dr. Lonnie G. Bunch III, “The Challenge of Building a National Museum” -Brown University
The Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice hosted a conversation with U.S. Senator Jack Reed & Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) on Monday, May 4th, 2015.

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