Museum Signs 28K SF Lease At Bethesda Metro Center

A children's museum will nearly quadruple its footprint with a new space next to the Bethesda Metro station. 

Brookfield Properties announced Wednesday it signed a 28K SF lease with KID Museum at 3 Bethesda Metro Center. The museum plans to begin construction this summer and open in early 2022. 

KID Museum is currently located in 7,500 SF in the basement of Bethesda's Davis Library at 6400 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda Magazine reported. The museum aims to use the new, larger space to serve more students with hands-on programming. 

The museum will have studio space for programs in coding, robotics, electronics, textiles, fiber arts and 3D printing. KID Museum plans to partner with District of Columbia Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools and The Universities at Shady Grove. 

"The new space allows us to both go where the greatest need is, and build an accessible, dedicated space for hands-on, maker learning that engages youth of diverse backgrounds,” KID Museum founder and Executive Director Cara Lesser said in a release. 

The space the museum will take was previously used as office space, a Brookfield spokesperson said. The 16-story, 368K SF office building at 3 Bethesda Metro Center was constructed in 1985. 

“Just steps away from the Bethesda Metro Station, educators, children and their families will now have easy access to an educational makerspace that will activate this downtown hub with inclusive and dynamic programming for years to come," Brookfield Executive Vice President and Head of D.C. Region Greg Meyer said in a statement.