The Nation’s Attic is coming to Prince George’s County.
The Smithsonian Institution will move some of its scattered storage, library, production and security-training facilities to a 360,000-square-foot facility in Landover, Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson said Thursday.
Smithsonian will vacate a large warehouse in the District of Columbia, as well as buildings in Springfield and Newington, to consolidate its operations in the newly renovated Landover building at 3400 Pennsy Drive.
“Their decision to come to Landover is significant, because Landover is an underdeveloped area, for lack of a better term,” said county spokeswoman Denise Roberts.
“For the federal government to have employees traveling in or out or even living here in the county — it tells other jurisdictions that Prince George’s County has a lot to offer.”
The building will house the institute’s Office of Exhibits Central, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, the Office of Protective Services and collections from the National Museum of American History, although there will not be any public exhibits at the location, Roberts said.
“The size of the building, the site’s location near major transportation routes, access to public transportation, and its natural security barriers made it an ideal location for the consolidation of collections, conservation, and fabrication facilities,” said Reid Townsend of the Trammell Crow Co., which owns the Landover building.
The large building will also give the Smithsonian room to grow, the county executive said. The move is scheduled for October 2008.
