Amidst celebrations for the 1 millionth visitor and continuing rave reviews from visitors, the National Museum of the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Heritage Foundation announce expansion plans. The announcement comes soon after the release of results from a visitors’ survey conducted by the American Association for State & Local History.
The survey found that the National Museum of the Marine Corps exceeded the results of the top three museums observed by the AASLH in overall visitor experience, visitor expectations, impact, value, visitor return, visitor recommendation and reputation.
The Museum will soon expand to include three additional galleries with exhibits interpreting the periods from 1775 through World War 1 featuring immersive experiences, for which the Museum has become world-renowned. Construction will begin in September on the new galleries, expected to open in the spring of 2010.
The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s fundraising campaign to complete the Museum is underway. New components which the Foundation and its supporters will be funding include over 80,000 square feet of additional historical galleries, a large-screen theater, a permanent art gallery and artist studios, a performance space, classrooms and a display-storage gallery for many artifacts currently not accessible to the public.
“The completion of the National Museum of the Marine Corps will preserve our history, and tell the story of our Corps to every visitor to this Museum and the Heritage Center,” said General Ron Christmas, President and CEO of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.
With funding provided by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and its donors, the adjacent Semper Fidelis Memorial Park also continues to expand. Additional trails and overlooks have already been lined with 10,000 commemorative bricks and another 2,000 are reserved for new trail segments. Memorial benches and monuments will be installed in the next phase of development, along with the construction of a new chapel slated to begin in October.
The nondenominational chapel will be a quiet and contemplative space where worshippers can remember the sacrifices of those who have served the nation. Designed by Denver-based Fentress Architects, architects of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the structure will evoke images and memories of the improvised field chapels familiar to all combat Marines. Additionally, a new interactive children’s playground was dedicated at the Marine Corps Heritage Center in the spring.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps appeals to the entire family, with hundreds of artifacts and immersive and interactive exhibits. In the less than two years since its dedication, the Museum has become recognized as a top Virginia destination for families across the region and throughout the nation. Recent surveys conducted by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation found that 75% of visitors to the Museum were from outside the state of Virginia.
Museum visitor tracking surveys also showed that the most visited exhibit at the Museum was the Iwo Jima casualty wall, commemorating each Marine who gave his life in the battle with an Eagle, Globe and Anchor Marine Corps emblem. The wall stands adjacent to the encased, original flag flown on the island and made a national icon by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.
As visitors of all ages and interest from all over the country visit the Museum, it expects to receive its 1 millionth visitor in early September. The initiatives to expand the National Museum of the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Heritage Center are fulfilling the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s vision of creating a world-class facility to be enjoyed by visitors time and time again.
For more information on the National Museum of the Marine Corps, visit www.usmcmuseum.org or call 1-877-635-1775.
