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The Thomas Jefferson Memorial on Washington's Tidal Basin has been getting its biggest change in a generation: ramps so that a wheelchair user no longer has to go the long way round to reach the statue, a modernised lift, and a museum rebuilt from scratch. The memorial and its statue stayed open throughout.
What is changing
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting to the chamber | a long accessible route from the front of the memorial | two sloped paths, east and west of the front steps, cutting the distance sharply; a modernised, more reliable lift from ground level |
| Exhibits | a 2,500-square-foot lower-level exhibit installed in 1999 | fully rebuilt, with more perspectives on Jefferson's many-sided story and on building the memorial; tactile and audio elements throughout |
| Chamber level | no exhibits | about 450 square feet of new exhibit space |
| Standard | public spaces brought up to the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards |
Also in the work: new paving on the badly damaged lower terrace, rearranged lower-level restrooms and shop, and upgraded fire suppression and security.
During construction
- Open: the front of the memorial, the steps, the accessible ramps and route, and the chamber with the statue.
- Closed: the lower level — exhibits, restrooms, lift and bookshop — replaced for the duration by temporary restrooms, a temporary bookshop and an accessible lift.
| Started | December 2021 |
| Scheduled to finish | spring 2025 |
| Paid for by | the National Park Foundation, through gifts from David M. Rubenstein and The Nau Foundation, with National Park Service construction funds |
It followed an earlier project that replaced the memorial's three roof systems and cleaned all of its exterior marble, paid for by Park Service construction funds and the Great American Outdoors Act.
Sources
Written from "Thomas Jefferson Memorial Accessibility and Exhibit Improvements", National Park Service, National Mall and Memorial Parks, a work of the United States government in the public domain.
In these collectionsNational Mall and Memorial Parks
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.nps.gov
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