On June 17, 2011, the Army announced that the North Post of Fort Belvoir, Va., will be the site of the National Museum of the U.S. Army (NMUSA), scheduled to open in June 2015. The vision and mission of the NMUSA is to educate, excite, inspire and entertain visitors of all ages on the history and culture of the United States Army.

The NMUSA will be a unique facility of national and historic significance. It will encompass a state-of-the-art building housing world class exhibits that tell the story of the U.S. Army as an institution and be a tribute to the American soldier. The NMUSA will preserve, study, and interpret Army material culture, educating visitors in the history, traditions and accomplishments of the Army. It will be a forum for the education, edification, and inspiration for all those seeking knowledge of the history of the Army. The American people will gain a greater awareness of the part that the Army played in shaping their heritage.

The NMUSA building and campus will be constructed in stages and will initially consist of approximately 185,000 sf facility that houses approximately 60,000 sf for nine exhibit galleries and a theatre in the exhibit wing. It will also include: experiential learning center, café, retail, Veterans' Hall, lobby, administrative space and other areas in the custom portion of the building. Exterior features will include a parade ground, amphitheater, Army trail and memorial garden as well as landscaping and parking. NMUSA will be expected to attract a steady state attendance of approximately 600,000 visitors annually.  

New England District (NAE) is responsible for the design and construction of the museum campus and associated infrastructure and exhibit development and fabrication. Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, LLP is the designer of record for design of the museum campus and infrastructure, which is is approximately 35% complete. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2012, with museum opening in 2015. Army anticipates funding construction of the infrastructure through an FY12 MILCON project. The museum campus will be funded by the Army Historical Foundation (AHF), the non-profit entity responsible for raising funds through donations. For more information on the AHF campaign, please see visit their website: www.armyhistory.org.  

Christopher Chadbourne and Associates, Inc., was responsible for exhibit development for NMUSA, which was completed in June 2011. NAE has plans to award a contract for Exhibit Fabrication soon.  

Once the museum is opened, it will be operated by the National Museum Project Office; their website is: http://thenmusa.org.

For more information, please contact the Project Manager, by e-mail or by calling 978-318-8074.