Washington, D.C., will get a new, immersive 15,000-square-foot museum under the Lincoln Memorial, The Hill reported.
Beneath the Lincoln Memorial is its "undercroft," a cavernous area filled with rows of tall concrete columns and large expanses of open space that has long been hidden.
The renovation will be the largest performed on the monument since it was completed in 1922, The Hill reported.
Undercroft renovation had been under discussion for years, according to Jeff Reinbold, the Park Service superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks.
"Over time, we got more excited about the opportunity to take people down there and give them a chance not only to see the space, but to tell the story about the creation of the Lincoln Memorial," Reinbold told NPR.
The nearly $69 million project will allow visitors to learn about the site's construction history and significant historical events.
The exhibit space will include floor-to-ceiling glass walls providing a view of the long-hidden undercroft and the pillars that support the memorial above it, along with an immersive theater presentation that will project images of historic events onto the foundations, NPR reported.
Visitors will learn how the memorial was constructed, as well as how the statue became an iconic backdrop for civil-rights demonstrations. The museum will also highlight prominent figures who have the shaped the history of the memorial.
The goal is to also preserve the original architecture under the memorial. The project received funding from multiple donors, including the National Park Foundation.
"We wanted to — and our donors wanted to — provide the visitors of this great monument with an excellent experience, and that wasn't something the government funding was going to achieve on its own," National Park Federation President Will Shafroth said.
The Lincoln Memorial will remain open during the construction, which will start in March and is expected to be completed by 2026, for the 250th anniversary of American independence.
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