National Medal of Honor Museum

Not to be confused with Texas Medal of Honor Memorial.
National Medal of Honor Museum
Map
Established2024 (2024) (planned)
LocationArlington, Texas
Coordinates32°45′11″N 97°04′54″W / 32.75306°N 97.08167°W / 32.75306; -97.08167
TypeMilitary history
CollectionsMedal of Honor
Websitemohmuseum.org

The National Medal of Honor Museum is a museum that honors United States Armed Forces Medal of Honor recipients, founded and funded by the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.[1] The museum is scheduled to open on March 25, 2025[2] in Arlington, Texas, with groundbreaking beginning in March 2022.[3] Previously, the group decided to build the museum in Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant[4] but decided on Arlington later.[5]

The location was announced on October 4, 2019, concluding a 5-year, nationwide competition that included Denver, New York City, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. It is projected to cost $150 million and open in 2024.[6]

History

Planning

Initially, the museum was planned for a location in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.[7] A design for the museum by Moshe Safdie faced much regulatory scrutiny and criticism by the Mount Pleasant Town Council planning committee.[8][9] In late 2018, the Foundation decided to seek alternate sites for the museum.[7]

In October of 2019, Arlington, Texas, was selected as the location for the National Medal of Honor Museum.[10] The museum is meant to recognize Medal of Honor recipients[11] and include the National Medal of Honor Museum Leadership Institute, an education center aimed at character development for young people.[12][3]

In January 2020, Rafael Viñoly was selected as chief architect for the museum.[13] The first renderings for the museum were revealed that October.[14]

The Foundation has also worked to place a corresponding National Medal of Honor Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.[15] A bill authorizing the Foundation to construct the monument passed unanimously in the House and Senate;[16] in late 2021, President Joe Biden signed it into law.[15]

Fundraising

The Foundation has a fundraising goal of nearly $200 million to build the museum in Arlington.[17] The project is funded by private donations.[18] No federal funds will be used to support the construction of the museum[19] or the monument.[20] In March 2021, American businessman and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made a $20 million donation to help build the museum.[21]

Construction

The site for the museum is in Arlington's entertainment district, near the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium and Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field.[11] On February 1, 2022, the Foundation announced it would break ground on the museum on National Medal of Honor Day 2022 – March 25, 2022.[3]

Foundation

The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization charged with designing, funding, building and maintaining the museum.[22] Chris Cassidy, former chief astronaut for NASA and a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, is the museum's president and CEO.[23] Charlotte Jones, executive vice president and chief brand officer for the Dallas Cowboys, is chairman of the board for the museum.[24]

Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter are "Honorary Directors" of the Foundation. In November 2021, Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton appeared in a public service announcement in support of building the museum.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation launches campaign to build Texas museum, DC monument". FOX 10 Phoenix. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  2. ^ Le, Dang (2024-03-27). "$270M National Medal of Honor Museum sets official opening date in Arlington". Arlington Report. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  3. ^ a b c Bahari, Sarah (1 February 2022). "After years of planning, National Medal of Honor Museum will break ground next month in Arlington". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  4. ^ Williams, Emily (2019-08-13). "Mount Pleasant will give $3M to new Medal of Honor museum project". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  5. ^ "Two towns vie for 'national' Medal of Honor museum". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  6. ^ "Medal of Honor Museum to be located in Texas". Military Times. 3 October 2019.
  7. ^ a b Williams, Emily (18 January 2020). "One museum may have left SC, but Medal of Honor Society headquarters 'here to stay'". Post and Courier. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  8. ^ Munday, Dave (2018-04-02). "Medal of Honor Museum design fails to impress Mount Pleasant council committee". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  9. ^ Grant, Daniel (2018-10-02). "More Museums Are Popping Up, Annoying Their Neighbors". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  10. ^ "Arlington Chosen as Site for National Medal of Honor Museum". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b Tarrant, David (2 October 2019). "New National Medal of Honor Museum headed to Arlington, near Cowboys and Rangers stadiums". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  12. ^ Swanger, Ben (5 November 2021). "Chris Cassidy, Charlotte Jones Give Sneak Peek of National Medal of Honor Museum". D Magazine. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  13. ^ "National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation names architect for $150M project, adds industry leaders to its board". Fort Worth Business Press. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  14. ^ Hickman, Matt (12 October 2020). "Rafael Viñoly Architects unveils renderings of National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  15. ^ a b Caldwell, Emily (29 December 2021). "Biden signs bill to authorize construction of Medal of Honor monument in Washington, D.C." The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  16. ^ Schill, Charlie (21 December 2021). "Blake Moore's Medal of Honor bill awaiting presidential signature". Cache Valley Daily. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  17. ^ Roberts, Kim (5 July 2021). "National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington Hopes to Break Ground Early 2022". The Texan. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  18. ^ Watson, Kathryn (12 November 2021). "Obama, Bush and Clinton ask for support to build museum for Medal of Honor recipients". CBS News. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  19. ^ Broussard, Kailey (7 October 2020). "Here's the first look at the National Medal of Honor Museum planned in Arlington". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  20. ^ Mitchell, Isaiah (23 December 2021). "Congress Approves Texan-Led Effort to Establish National Monument to Medal of Honor Recipients". The Texan. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  21. ^ Epstein, Jori (25 March 2021). "Cowboys owner Jerry Jones giving $20 million to help fund new National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas". USA Today. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  22. ^ a b Stracqualursi, Veronica (11 November 2021). "Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton in new PSA urge Americans to support National Medal of Honor Museum". CNN. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  23. ^ Bahari, Sarah (30 August 2021). "National Medal of Honor Museum names U.S. Navy veteran and former NASA astronaut as CEO". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  24. ^ "National Medal of Honor Museum receives $20 million from Jerry Jones". Philanthropy News Digest. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.