National LGBT Museum Shifts Sights From DC To NYC

Space is at a premium near the National Mall and it will only get more crowded in the coming years. Last year, the National Capital Planning Commission unveiled ambitious plans for a 115-acre "Ecodistrict" for an area south of the Mall. Congress has indicated there's simply no room for new monuments and museums in the area.

The board has its sights set on NYC and is on the lookout for a total of roughly 80k SF that would include room for at least 40k SF of exhibit space. If search efforts prove successful, the National LGBT Museum would join the list of several other museum projects either planned or in the works in the city. Last year, The Studio Museum in Harlem received a $35.3M donation from NYC to build a new five-story, 71k SF facility at its current location on West 125th Street. [WBJ]

The proposed National LGBT Museum is eyeing the Big Apple after coming up empty in its lengthy search for space near the National Mall in Washington.

The museum’s board decided to shift its focus from DC to NYC and notified potential donors back in December, the Washington Business Journal reports. The group was intrigued by the prospect of opening a museum in the nation’s capital and had been seeking about 70k SF near the National Mall for several years.

After ruling out space near the Mall and being informed that the museum would not be eligible for tax breaks in the District, the group decided to explore options in NYC. The board worried that space away from the Mall would impact the number of visitors due to the drop in tourism numbers in other parts of the city.