Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup to Design National Museum of African American History and Culture

David Adjaye
(Photo: Dominik Gigler)

The architectural team Freelon Adjaye Bond in association with SmithGroup was selected and announced today to design the new black history museum on the National Mall in Washington. They were among six architectural firms that entered the design competition in January 2009 from a total of 22 firms that responded to a Request for Qualifications issued during the summer of 2008. The selection was made by a jury chaired by Museum Director Lonnie G. Bunch III.

Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup proposed a layered, glowing structure topped with a bronze crown. The lead designer will be David Adjaye, who designed the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture could be the final museum added to the expanse between the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument.