National Museum of Women in the Arts
Project Type: Historic Preservation, Interior Renovation, Base Building Upgrades
Space Use: Museum, Event, Office
Location: Washington, D.C.
Project Size: ~100,000 SF
Services Provided: Interior Renovation, Restoration
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (“NMWA”), a pioneering institution dedicated to celebrating women's contributions to the arts, engaged JM Zell to act as its ownership representative in providing design and construction project management services for the comprehensive renovation of its 100,000 square foot museum located in Washington D.C.’s central business district. NWMA’s primary goals for the project were to I) elevate overall visitor experience by increasing the size of its gallery areas to showcase additional artists and exhibits, II) replace the aging base building systems which reached the end of their useful life to enhance the visitor experience and safeguard the art collection(s), and, III) modernize back-of-house administration areas to increase operational efficiency. In addition to achieving its primary goals, NWMA was also required to maintain the historic character of the building in implementing any improvements due to the building’s listing on The National Register of Historic Places.
As NMWA’s owner's representative, JM Zell supervised all aspects of the construction project, from pre-construction, planning, and design through implementation and close-out. Given the building’s historic landmark status and unique use as a museum with multiple sub-uses including a retail store, education center, library, and collection(s) storage, the renovation required JM Zell to navigate a complex jurisdictional approval process which also included approvals by the Historic Preservation Office. In addition, JM Zell managed a large team of specialized third-party experts to successfully preserve the historic characteristics of the building while modernizing key systems and layout to meet construction code, accommodate ADA and other NMWA operational requirements. Additionally, the JM Zell team procured swing space for staff in proximity to the museum and art storage space for affected collections to maintain operational continuity throughout the construction process.
JM Zell staffed the project with a seasoned team of project executives and managers, who leveraged their collective experience delivering base building and interior renovations for other organizations with similar missions and operations. JM Zell’s diligent approach and thorough understanding of complex approval processes and historic preservation construction means and methods, enabled NWMA to navigate unforeseen base building conditions while achieving a key NMWA goal, increasing loading and exhibition spaces for collections.
Throughout the project, the JM Zell team integrated and maintained constant communication with NMWA leadership and key stakeholders to ensure NMWA met key project milestones and goals. After a 2-year planned hiatus, NWMA held its opening ceremony on schedule in October 2023.
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