International African American Museum

The International African American Museum (IAAM) is a museum of African-American history being built in Charleston, South Carolina, on the site where Gadsden's Wharf, the disembarkation point of up to 40% of all American enslaved persons, once stood. Construction of the IAAM began in January 2020 after 20 years of planning.[1] It is slated to open in June 2023.[2]

Conception and construction

The idea of the museum was initiated by former Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr.[3] The city had previously sold the land to a restaurateur, but after construction on the site discovered traces of Gadsden's Wharf, Riley decided to repurchase the land.[4]

The construction budget of the museum is $75 million. Joe Riley raised money for the project as a private citizen. The $25 million private donation goal was met in 2018.[4] The South Carolina General Assembly delayed a $25 million contribution to the project, which delayed construction of the 40,000-square-foot facility.

The city of North Charleston donated $1 million to the project. Keith Sumney, the mayor of North Charleston, stated that he hoped the museum would include an exhibit on Liberty Hill, a historically black neighborhood in North Charleston.[5]

The design architect is Harry Cobb, of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, working in collaboration with Moody Nolan architectural firm of Columbus, Ohio; the exhibition designer is Ralph Appelbaum Associates and the landscape designer is Walter Hood, of Oakland, California.[6] The museum will be built on the Cooper River, with a view towards Fort Sumter and out to the Atlantic Ocean.[3][7]

References
  1. "IAAM, the International African American Museum Is Now Under Construction". ArchDaily. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  2. Dafoe, Taylor (February 28, 2023). "Charleston's International African American Museum Has Announced Its Opening in June, After More Than Two Decades of Planning". Artnet News. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  3. "Charleston's New Museum: Cobblestones and bones". The Economist. January 5, 2017.
  4. Kimmelman, Michael (March 28, 2018). "Charleston Needs That African American Museum. And Now". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  5. Williams, Emily (August 21, 2019). "City of North Charleston plans to give $1 million to International African American Museum". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  6. Kimmelman, Michael (March 28, 2018). "Charleston Needs That African American Museum. And Now Archived March 29, 2018, at the Wayback Machine". New York Times. nytimes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2018. Print version, "In Charleston, a Museum Long Past Due", March 29, 2018, p. C1, 4.
  7. Waters, Dustin (September 23, 2016). "International African-American Museum to go before architectural review board next week". Charleston City Paper. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.

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