NATIONAL BANK OF WASHINGTON TO HOST GENOCIDE MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.09.2007 14:00 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial (AGMM)
announced today that its Building and Operations Committee signed
contracts with Washington area firms specializing in museum planning
and construction to begin the development and construction of a
stellar museum in the historic National Bank of Washington building
and adjacent properties, the Armenian Assembly of America told
PanARMENIAN.Net.
AGMM selected two firms previously invited to submit proposals
for the site. The Committee awarded its phase one museum planning
contract to the prestigious firm of Gallagher & Associates,
, which specializes in the planning, design
and management of innovative, informative, and immerse experiences
for museums, learning facilities and visitor centers. Based in
the Washington area, this premier museum planning firm has steered
to completion numerous projects ranging from exhibit and visitor
centers at Jamestown Settlement in Virginia and the Gettysburg
National Battlefield in Pennsylvania, to a multimedia re-creation
of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival in New York. Significantly,
Gallagher & Associates was also selected by the United States National
Archives to showcase its vast collection of historic documents in a
new permanent exhibit on the Washington Mall. The firm also designed
the Montreal Holocaust Museum and has commenced master planning for
the new Woodrow Wilson Presidential Museum. The Gallagher proposal
for AGMM was reviewed by leading scholars in the fields of Armenian
and genocide studies.
The Committee also awarded a phase one contract to the firm of Martinez
& Johnson Architecture, , which is recognized in
Washington for its expertise in the design of complex, multi-functional
facilities, as well as the restoration of architecturally significant
buildings.
Most recently the firm renovated the Boston Opera House, regarded
as a masterpiece of American Baroque architecture. Among many other
projects in the District of Columbia, Martinez & Johnson renovated
and converted the landmark Gothic Revival structure known as the
Alban Towers facing the National Cathedral.
The firm will be preparing plans for the complete renovation and
restoration of the onetime bank structure, whose exterior and interior
are designated as landmarks on the National Register of Historic
Buildings, as well as its conversion into a public space for exhibit
and community use.
Van Z. Krikorian, in his capacity as chairman of the AGMM Committee,
which was fully authorized to proceed with all aspects of the project’s
development and operation, added: "Despite reports that this project
might not get off the ground, I am delighted to inform opponents that
their expectations will not be met.
The Committee, Hirair Hovnanian, Anoush Mathevosian, the Armenian
Assembly of America, and all of our friends are resolved to build this
center in our nation’s capital. Here the Armenian Genocide and its
legacy will be properly memorialized and explained through innovative
exhibits and a state-of-the-art museum facility. The future museum
will be located at an exceptional site in the heart of Washington,
steps from the White House, and will include special emphasis on the
role of the United States in genocide prevention and punishment."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
