Thursday, December 13, 2001

Newseum to close March 3, 2002

Decision allows staff to plan, develop new facility; education-outreach programs continue

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From left, Peter Prichard, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and Charles Overby at the site of the planned Newseum at 555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Freedom Forum, the nonpartisan foundation that funds and operates the Newseum, announced that it will close the interactive museum of news in Rosslyn on March 3, 2002. The decision signals the next stage of the organization’s plan to relocate the Newseum and the Freedom Forum’s headquarters to Washington, D.C., in 2005.

“It took us five years to plan and build the museum in Arlington, and the new Newseum will be nearly three times as large,” said Freedom Forum Chairman and CEO Charles L. Overby. “We need to focus our energies and resources on developing content, acquiring artifacts and planning a visitor experience that will be even more educational, entertaining and enlightening.”

The new museum will be located at Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, N.W., between the U.S. Capitol and the White House and across the street from the National Gallery of Art. The 555,000-square-foot complex will include the Newseum, the Freedom Forum’s headquarters and international conference center, restaurant and retail facilities, and approximately 100 housing units. The Freedom Forum purchased the property from the District of Columbia in 2000.

Demolition of the building currently at 555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., gets under way.

“By moving to the District, we will significantly expand our programming, reach a much greater audience and deepen our impact,” said Freedom Forum and Newseum President Peter Prichard.

Newseum officials have begun discussions with several organizations to create partnerships that will allow the museum to continue its education and outreach efforts during the transitional period by moving its daily newspaper front-page display and many of its ongoing programming activities to the District of Columbia.

“We are grateful to Arlington County, particularly the community of Rosslyn, for hosting the Newseum in its first five years. In that time we have proven that both Arlington and the Newseum are powerful magnets for visitors to the national capital region,” said Joe Urschel, executive director of the Newseum. The Newseum opened to the public on April 18, 1997, and since then has welcomed more than 2.15 million visitors. Attendance has increased each year the Newseum has been open.

The Newseum’s newest exhibit, “National Geographic’s Women Photographers: A Different Focus,” opened Nov. 23 and features more than 100 images and the work of 40 past and present National Geographic photographers. Located at 1101 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington, Va., the Newseum is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Christmas and New Year’s days). Admission is free. For more information, call 703/284-3713 or 888/NEWSEUM, or visit the Newseum’s Web site at www.newseum.org.

Media contacts: Beth Tuttle, 703/284-3722, or Mike Fetters, 703/284-2895.