How much did it cost to build the African American Museum?
Construction. The museum broke ground in February 2012. The 400,000-square-foot building is situated on a five-acre tract adjacent to the Washington Monument. Total cost for construction and installation of exhibitions was $540 million, one-half funded by federal funds and the remainder by the Smithsonian.
Who paid for the African American museum?
Bush signed legislation to establish a national museum dedicated to African American history and culture. As a public-private partnership, the museum would receive half the funding from Congress and was responsible for raising the remaining $270 million through private philanthropic support.
Why are African American Museums important?
As important keepers of the culture, African- American museums in the late twentieth century are charged with defining, inter- preting, preserving, retaining, and refining for the current generation those values and visions that sustained the African-American community throughout the eras of slavery and segregation.