The exhibit space below the Lincoln Memorial has been expanded and transformed to offer visitors a fresh perspective on the iconic building.

Quinn Evans worked closely with the National Park Service for more than a decade to bring this new interpretive experience to the public through an ambitious renovation project in Washington, DC. Formerly a small exhibit area adjacent to a comfort station, the new 15,000-sf museum greatly expands the memorial’s visitor amenities. Its opening coincides with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which will be celebrated on July 4. Tickets are available through the National Park Service.

Located in the memorial’s undercroft—a cavernous, column-filled space beneath the century-old monument—the museum provides critical upgrades, improves accessibility, and delivers an immersive visitor experience. With an orientation theater, multimedia exhibit, a gift shop, and floor-to-ceiling curtain wall glazing that provides dramatic views into the undercroft, the interpretive space offers visitors an unprecedented opportunity to engage with the massive structure that supports the Lincoln Memorial while exploring its enduring legacy significance as an important backdrop to American history.

Opened in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was originally designed by architect Henry Bacon. Its location was identified in the McMillan Plan to continue the axis between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Because the memorial sits on reclaimed land that was once part of the Potomac River, its foundations had to be driven 50 feet down to the bedrock below. This engineering solution resulted in the undercroft, which was never intended for visitors.

The 1970s renovation that provided the memorial with a small exhibit space and elevator also introduced a small window into the undercroft, but it was removed two decades later in a subsequent renovation. “The undercroft was forgotten for a generation,” says Project Manager Megan Tormey, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. “Designing the museum space meant crafting an experience where visitors could feel the scale of this massive structure; we wanted them to be able to interact with it directly, not just view it from afar. Every design choice celebrates the foundation that has quietly carried the Lincoln Memorial for over a century.”

In contrast to the memorial’s statuary chamber, which focuses on Abraham Lincoln’s achievements, the exhibits in the new museum interpret the memorial itself—including its place in the Civil Rights Movement. The exhibit experience complements the statuary chamber above, where visitors view Daniel Chester French’s sculpture of Lincoln through towering marble columns. Similarly, the museum features vantage points into the voluminous undercroft through its rough, board-formed structural columns.

Modern interventions sit lightly on the historic structure, preserving its integrity while opening it to exploration. “The design team’s overriding goal was to be a good steward of the Memorial,” explains Principal in Charge Steven Spurlock, FAIA, LEED AP. “We constantly reminded ourselves of that imperative, and it helped in our decision-making process at every step of the way.”

The original concrete columns are left exposed, allowing visitors to see and touch them—as is the sloped ceiling of the retail shop, which supports the memorial’s monumental stair. Lighting washes over these historic elements, accentuating their texture. “A primary design challenge was the juxtaposition of the old and new,” says Spurlock. “A visitor should be able to tell what is original and what interventions were made—that’s part of the story. We took our cues from what was already there.”

Contemporary elements are related to, yet clearly distinguishable from, the old. New walls are faced with reclaimed wood, harking back to the boards that shaped the concrete columns during the memorial’s construction. Where new concrete structure was required, its finish is smooth to clearly delineate it from the existing columns. In contrast to the oil-rubbed bronze doors and accents in the statuary chamber, the museum features light bronze doors and hardware.

The centerpiece of the museum is a theater where visitors watch a film projected onto large screens in the undercroft space through a state-of-the-art glass curtain wall that incorporates radiant glazing to ensure the view will never be clouded by condensation. “In Washington’s summer heat, the relative humidity in the undercroft often exceeds 95%,” explains architect Charles Sparkman, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. “Our analysis demonstrated that the warm, humid air within the undercroft would condensate—and completely fog—the exterior face of traditional glazing. This glazing incorporates a radiant coating that heats its exterior surface by electrical resistance. That will keep it clear at all times—while using much less energy than the other options that we studied.” The innovative technology, similar to a car’s rear-window defroster but invisible to the eye, has rarely been used for glazing of this scale. This is its first commercial installation in the US.

As a global symbol of equality and civil rights, the Lincoln Memorial now offers an experience that exceeds accessibility standards. The entry plaza has been regraded, creating a completely level path to and throughout the museum, and a new elevator will minimize service disruptions.

In bringing the public into the undercroft, the new exhibit space continues the Lincoln Memorial’s evolution—honoring its history while expanding access, understanding, and connection for generations to come.

Project Team

Under a contract held by VHB, Quinn Evans provided architectural and historic preservation services for the undercroft exhibit space. The design team also included TYLin (formerly Silman), Affiliated Engineers, M2H Protection, Gary Steffy Lighting Design, Acoustic Distinctions, and Terracon. Consigli was the construction manager.

About Quinn Evans

Quinn Evans, the AIA Architecture Firm Award winner for 2024, provides services in architecture, interior design, planning, landscape architecture, urban revitalization, and historic preservation, including sustainable preservation and stewardship. A certified Women’s Business Enterprise, the firm employs more than 180 professionals in six office locations in Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan; Baltimore, Maryland; Madison, Wisconsin; Richmond, Virginia; and Washington, DC.

Established in 1984, Quinn Evans is nationally known for large-scale renovation, historic preservation, and adaptive reuse projects. The firm’s additional work on the National Mall includes the revitalized National Air and Space Museum, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 1; the National Native American Veterans Memorial at the National Museum of the American Indian; the Sant Ocean Hall and South Entrance at the National Museum of Natural History; the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History; and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, which will reopen in October 2026.

More information about Quinn Evans’ work on heritage projects can be found here.

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