UK-based architectural firm, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP), has recently unveiled the design for a stunning trapezoid-shaped building, in Washington DC, which could soon become the International Spy Museum’s permanent address. Towering over six stories in height, this unusually-shaped glass and concrete structure is slated for construction at the L’Enfant Plaza, in the southwest part of the capital city. If approved by the US Commission of Fine Arts, the proposed building would stand right next to the famous Vlastimil Koubek-designed L’Enfant Plaza Hotel.
Founded by Milton Maltz, back in 2002, the International Spy Museum is the country’s only museum that is dedicated entirely to the history of espionage. Currently housed inside the Le Detroit Building, the 20,000-sq-ft museum features over 750 artifacts, including a 1777 letter, by George Washington, ordering a New York-based merchant Nathaniel Sackett to create, what is now believed to be, the nation’s first spy network. Additionally, its huge collection of photographs and videos actually trace the history of spying, starting all the way from the Greco-Roman times.
With the lease for its current location ending in 2017, the museum has been planning to relocate somewhere else. RSHP’s new design proposes the construction of a striking, trapezoid-shaped building, with a series of bright red columns running along its length, at the JBG Cos.-owned 900 L’Enfant Plaza. According to the developers, the 100,000-sq-ft (approx. 9,290-sq-m) structure would be built on top of a single-floored base, and would house permanent and temporary exhibition areas, galleries, retail spaces and classrooms. Furthermore, the plan includes a two-story rooftop pavilion, lined with huge floor-to-ceiling glass walls, for events and exhibitions.
The museum authority has already submitted the design, for the $100 million building, to the Commission of Fine Arts, and is currently awaiting its approval.
To know more about the RSHP firm, click here.