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 January 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. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  2. Devon M. Sayers. "One of the most prolific slave trading ports in the US will finally open as a museum". CNN. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  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. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  5. Williams, Emily. "City of North Charleston plans to give $1 million to International African American Museum". Post and Courier. Retrieved February 9, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. Kimmelman, Michael (March 28, 2018). "Charleston Needs That African American Museum. And Now". 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. Retrieved January 11, 2017.

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