The D.C. Zoning Commission voted 4-0 Monday for preliminary approval on GW’s application to build the George Washington University Museum. A second and final Zoning Commission vote is planned for later this summer.
The George Washington University Museum will be located on 21st and G streets, incorporating both a new signature building facing 21st Street and the historic Woodhull House facing G Street to provide 35,000 square feet of new space. The museum will house gallery and exhibition spaces, including a double height gallery, and will provide collection, education and museum research facilities. In addition, the building will accommodate a library, staff offices and collections handling areas.
“The university is pleased with the Zoning Commission vote of approval,” said Alicia Knight, senior associate vice president for operations. “With the positive input received from D.C .agencies and GW's neighbors, this process was inclusive and collaborative and will provide a terrific resource for the GW community, the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods and D.C. as a whole to study and appreciate the art, history and culture the George Washington University Museum will offer.”
As a result of Monday's approval, GW’s application will be referred to the National Capital Planning Commission for standard review and will then be returned to the Zoning Commission for its final approval in coming months. Pending final approval, construction on the museum will begin later this year and is expected to be completed in 2014.
The museum project received the support of key D.C. government agencies, including the D.C. Office of Planning, the Historic Preservation Review Board and the D.C. Department of Transportation. Numerous GW faculty members and students also testified in support of the museum at a Zoning Commission public hearing on April 5.
In addition to the museum itself, the university will construct a new facility dedicated to the study and care of the museum’s historic collections. This state-of-the-art conservation and resource center will be located on GW’s Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Va.
Detailed background information on the museum project is available in the campus development section of GW’s neighborhood website.