The Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum is narrowing in on the design for the Bezos Learning Center that’s in the works for the National Mall attraction.
Last year, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos — who, lest you forget, is absolutely bonkers about space travel — donated $130 million for the learning center and another $70 million to help pay for the museum’s overall $1 billion renovation, which began in 2018.
Five firms, which are not being identified at this point in the process, have submitted designs for the 50,000-square-foot learning center, which is set to replace the restaurant space on the east terrace of the museum. The Smithsonian has been taking public feedback on the designs this month, with comments closing Monday. A final plan is expected to be chosen next year. Construction is to start in 2024 and it will be likely be completed in 2026.
You can take a peek at renderings of the five designs in the gallery above.
The Bezos Learning Center will ultimately house programs and activities related to innovation and careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. It will include a ground-floor restaurant, second-floor space for programs and a third-floor terrace with views of the National Mall and U.S. Capitol.
The larger renovation of the museum remains ongoing. On Oct. 14, half of the museum will reopen with eight new and renovated exhibitions. The museum’s planetarium, museum store and Mars Cafe will also reopen all on the building’s west end at that time. The museum closed to the public earlier this year to accelerate the renovation work.
The Air and Space Museum welcomed 3.87 million visitors in 2019, down from 6.38 million in 2018 — when it was the No. 2 most-visited tourist site in Greater Washington behind only the Lincoln Memorial, according to Washington Business Journal research. It welcomed just 267,003 visitors in 2020 amid closures related to the Covid-19 pandemic. It welcomed 410,658 visitors in 2021.
