Image courtesy of Quinn Evans

By KERRY SMITH BUCK

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A uniquely compelling vertical construction project that finished in time for the nation’s 250^th birthday is the $69 million Lincoln Memorial Undercroft Museum in Washington, D.C.

The museum is located directly beneath the main statue chamber of the Lincoln Memorial.

General contractor Consigli Construction Company, headquartered in Milford, Mass., led the project as construction manager.

Quinn Evans served as lead architect.

The challenging project involved transforming a hidden 1914 subterranean engineering marvel – consisting of a 43,800-square-foot space held up by dozens of massive 40-foot-deep concrete columns – into a 15,000-square-foot public interpretive museum.

The design sports floor-to-ceiling glass walls, immersive digital projections and exhibits showcasing the original masonry construction and the memorial’s modern role as a historic backdrop for civil rights.

Engineering and planning firm VHB worked as the project’s prime infrastructure partner.

TYLin (formerly Silman) managed the complex underground structural retrofits.

Affiliated Engineers integrated the climate control and electrical frameworks into the cavern.

The National Park Service (NPS) provided $26 million in federal funding, paired with more than $43 million in private philanthropy, including a foundational $18.5 million gift from David Rubenstein.