The D.C. Historic Preservation Office recognized the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum with an award for Innovative Design and Adaption during the 2015 Annual Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation at DAR Constitution Hall.
The museum, which opened in March 2015, was designed by Hartman-Cox Architects and built by Tishman Construction. It is made up of a brand new structure on the corner of 21st and G streets. Inside, the building boasts a stunning elliptical staircase and high ceilings that are almost 14 feet high.
The main space connects to the 160-year-old Woodhull House, which was renovated to serve as the permanent showplace for the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection of nearly 1,000 objects documenting the history of Washington. The renovations have preserved the Woodhull House’s 19th-century elegance. Maxwell Zandt Woodhull donated the house to GW in 1921 and persuaded the university to purchase buildings around it. Prior to that, the house was home to William Seward, a New York governor and two-time secretary of state.
The museum is also the new location of The Textile Museum and its globally recognized collection of more than 20,000 objects dating from 3000 BCE to the present, including some of the world’s finest examples of rugs and textiles from the Near East, Central Asia, East and Southeast Asia, Africa and the indigenous cultures of the Americas.
“GW has made a long-term commitment to the historic preservation of our campus. We are proud that this project celebrates both the rich history of the Foggy Bottom Campus and D.C. as a whole, and that it melds the historical significance of the building with the university’s educational programs,” Senior Associate Vice President of Operations Alicia Knight said.