Lincoln Memorial Undercroft Museum Opens June 25 After $69 Million Overhaul
The Lincoln Memorial is about to reveal a part of itself that most visitors have never seen. On June 25, the National Park Service will open the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft Museum in Washington, D.C., converting 15,000 square feet beneath the monument into exhibition space devoted to the memorial’s history and Abraham Lincoln’s legacy. Opening-day large-tour tickets are already sold out.
The project is the result of a public-private partnership that began in 2016 with an $18.5 million gift from businessman and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein to the National Park Foundation, the National Park Service’s official charitable partner. The effort gained momentum in 2023, when the remaining funding was secured. In total, the $69 million project includes $26 million from the National Park Service and $43 million from the National Park Foundation, supported by donations from hedge-fund manager and art collector Ken Griffin, the John L. Nau III Foundation, the Rick L. and Vicki L. James Foundation, and the Glenn W. Bailey Foundation.
Jeff Reinbold, the National Park Foundation’s CEO, called the opening “a testament to the power of partnership” and said the museum will offer “a new way for all people to connect with the enduring legacy of the Lincoln Memorial.”
The renovation extends beyond the galleries. It also upgrades the memorial’s elevator systems, adds new restrooms, and expands the bookstore, making the site more functional for the steady stream of visitors it receives each year.
Built from 1914 to 1922, the Lincoln Memorial is a Neoclassical, temple-style structure honoring the president who led the United States through the Civil War and abolished slavery. It was the final project of Henry Bacon, the Beaux-Arts architect who also designed the memorial’s Reflecting Pool, now undergoing a controversial renovation. Inside stands Daniel Chester French’s 19-foot-tall marble statue of Lincoln, one of the most recognizable works of public sculpture in the country.
Doug Burgum, the Secretary of the Interior, said the project arrives at a meaningful moment: “As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, this project highlights the importance of places like the Lincoln Memorial in telling the American story and inspiring future generations.” The new museum positions the monument not only as a symbol, but as a place of interpretation, where architecture, memory, and civic history meet.
