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The Oprah Winfrey Theater, with screens similar to those on the building’s exterior. Photo © Alan Karchmer/NMAAHC

culture of a specific ethnic group, the stakes are even
higher, as constituents understandably take a strong
interest in how their lives and experiences are represented
to the world. Moreover, any project involving a coalition
of no fewer than four architecture firms—each already
enjoying a well-established reputation—is inherently
fraught with the potential for creative squabbling and
inertia. In short, there were many reasons why the
NMAAHC could have gone disastrously wrong.
It didn’t. The new building is a worthy addition to
the Washington’s monumental core, and its content is
likely to leave most any visitor awestruck. This is largely
a tribute to the design team members, who were diverse
in terms of ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and even
nationality, but united in expressing a strong personal
feeling that working on this project was a singular
opportunity that also entailed profound professional and
cultural obligations. “As an African American architect,”
said Philip G. Freelon, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, whose
firm was recently acquired by Perkins+Will, “I felt a great
sense of pride working on the museum. I also felt
responsible for delivering a successful outcome.”
“I go past the museum almost every month now,”
said Adjaye, the lead designer, “and I still can’t absorb
the thought. You realize the power of a political and
socially charged space. It is a rare and special moment
when architecture has the opportunity to connect to the
ethos of a people in such a palpable, discrete way.”
The success of the project is evident in the flood of
visitors who have been flocking to the museum since it
opened, spending many hours there engrossed in its
exhibitions. Often moving and at times almost over-
whelming, the NMAAHC demands a commitment not
only of time, but also of emotion. The payoff, especially
for the people to whose history and culture the institution
is dedicated, is the opportunity to find a little bit of
themselves enshrined in the symbolic heart of our nation.

Precisely framed view of the Washington Monument Photo © Alan Karchmer/NMAAHC
26 A DREAM DEFERRED NO MORE from one of the upper levels of the museum.