The National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian’s most visited museum, will need an estimated $500 million for repairs, the Smithsonian’s acting secretary said Wednesday.
The Air and Space Museum, built in 1976, will need repairs to its marble facade in addition to its roofing, lighting and air systems, acting Smithsonian Secretary Albert Horvath said at congressional hearing on the state of the Smithsonian.
Horvath said the museum’s most pressing need is its marble exterior, which experts say is beginning to erode. “Unfortunately, after 40 years of wear and tear, it is starting to crack and bow,” Horvath said.
Horvath said the Smithsonian does not plan to shut down the museum completely during the renovation, which will take nearly five years to complete and will be done in phases. The Smithsonian can space out the costs of the repairs with the phases, Horvath said. He was not clear on when the repairs would start, how much of the museum might be closed or whether its major exhibits, like the one featuring the Wright brothers’ plane, would be closed for extended periods of time.
“We are still in the midst of a very detailed design and planning,” Horvath said of the expected repairs.
Horvath attributes the museum’s wear and tear to its popularity. He said the museum expected to receive three million visitors annually when it opened, but now sees nearly six or seven million each year.
It’s not clear how much federal funds would be allocated for the repairs. The Smithsonian’s budget request for the next fiscal year includes $35 millions for repairs to the museum, Roll Call reported.
Candice Miller, chairman of the congressional committee that oversees the Smithsonian, expressed shock at the expense.
“Wow, that is a huge price tag,” the Michigan Republican said.
The Smithsonian receives about 60 percent of its funding from congressional funding and federal grants, and the rest from private funding and philanthropy. It received $819.5 million in federal funding in the current fiscal year.
The Smithsonian also has concerns about facility upkeep at the National Zoo and its Smithsonian Castle, Horvath said. He said the Smithsonian will need federal funding to help cover the costs.
“We will need your continued support in those areas,” he told lawmakers.
The Smithsonian is currently renovating its popular dinosaur hall at the Natural History Museum. That project is slated to cost $48 million and won’t be completed until 2019.
Despite the repairs, Horvath testified Wednesday that the “state of the Smithsonian is strong.” He touted the institution’s digital presence, saying it is continually adding exhibits and artifacts online for the public to view.
“If you can’t come to us, we are coming to you,” he said.
Horvath also said the museum is placing emphasis on promoting STEM education for K-12 students, providing opportunities for students to use technology such as 3D printers.
“The Smithsonian, at its core, is an educational institution,” he said.
The Smithsonian’s newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, is slated to open on the National Mall on schedule in fall 2016 and will include 33,000 artifacts, Horvath said.
Horvath will step down as acting secretary on July 1 and be replaced by David Skorton, the president at Cornell University. Skorton will be the Smithsonian’s 13th secretary since its founding in 1846.
