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History Museum Cleans Up Its Act

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The Associated Press

Published: November 21, 2008

WASHINGTON - The National Museum of American History reopens today after being closed for more than two years while it underwent an $85 million facelift.

Architects reorganized the central core of the museum to make it easier to navigate and to help visitors find what they're looking for. They sliced through the five-story building to create a central skylit atrium and knocked down walls in a dark entryway.

Six landmark objects - including an 1865 telescope from Vassar College, a statue of George Washington, and a "Dumbo" car from a 1960s Disneyland ride - now mark the wings of the three exhibit floors to help orient visitors to the themes that organize the galleries.

Many of the changes address a 2002 blue-ribbon commission report that criticized the museum for its clutter, confusing layout and its less-than-inclusive presentation of history.

New artifact walls have been built into the museum's central core to showcase a rotating selection of the museum's 3 million objects - from a display on how Asian immigrants faced discrimination in the United States to a C-3PO costume from the "Star Wars" movies.

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