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Obama, Laura Bush break ground for Black History Museum
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A design concept for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup
President Obama and former first lady Laura Bush joined Wednesday in celebrating the start of construction for the National Museum of African American History and Culture with groundbreaking ceremonies on the National Mall.
In 2009, the Smithsonian Institution chose a team led by David Adjaye, the celebrated Tanzanian-born architect, to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture, scheduled to open in Washington in 2015.
It was first proposed by black Civil War veterans almost 100 years ago and took five special commissions and two acts of Congress later to make it a reality.