National Children's Museum set to open in 2019
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — Work is underway on Washington's newest museum.
The National Children's Museum will be located in downtown D.C.
After a few years at National Harbor in Maryland, supporters are applauding the museum’s return to the District at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW inside the Ronald Reagan building.
"And now, the National Children's Museum has come home to where it belongs. It will be a major attraction," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) said.
The museum was founded in 1974 in Northeast Washington, then known as the Capital Children's Museum. In 2003, Congress designated it a national museum.
Today, it's focused on what it calls "STEAM" — educating kids about science, technology, engineering, art and math with hands-on exhibits.
“You make learning playful and engaging and fun and children just retain it in a different way," National Children's Museum President & CEO Crystal Bowyer said.
From the outside, the space might not look that big, but inside and below ground it really opens up. It offers a total of 30,000 square feet.
“That's one of our hopes, too, that when you descend into the space, that you're really transported into a different world," National Children's Museum Director of Exhibits & Education Elise Lemle said.
Located on top of the Federal Triangle Metro station and a short walk from the National Mall, the museum's leadership acknowledges there are already many family-friendly attractions in D.C.
“We hope that we'll be the first stop for our tourist visitors,” Lemle said.
Unlike the Smithsonian museums, they do plan to charge for entry: $10.95 for all visitors age one and older. The museum is set to open in March 2019.
