A hidden 15,000-square-foot space beneath the Lincoln Memorial, untouched for a century, has opened to the public as a museum. The Lincoln Memorial Undercroft, located directly below the statue of Abraham Lincoln on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., welcomed visitors starting Thursday.
The cavernous structural chamber, resembling a "two-story shopping mall" supported by 122 concrete pillars, has been vacant since the memorial's construction in 1922. The transformation into a museum has been a decade-long endeavor, with construction commencing in 2023, funded by $26 million in federal resources and $48 million from the National Park Foundation.
The new museum features a glass-encased exhibit area suspended within the infrastructure. Visitors can explore interactive physical displays, multimedia video presentations, and a bookstore. Among the historical treasures on view are original copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, both bearing Lincoln's signature.
Exhibits also provide a glimpse into the memorial's construction process, showcasing historical tools and graffiti left by workers from the 1920s. Beyond its physical aspects, the undercroft delves into the Lincoln Memorial's evolution as an American "civic stage," highlighting its role in civil rights history through displays on significant events such as Marian Anderson's 1939 concert and the 1963 March on Washington.
Access to the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft is free, but requires advance reservations. Tickets can be booked up to 30 days in advance through recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777. Daily walk-up tickets are also available on a first-come, first-served basis each morning at 8:45 a.m. local time from a kiosk near the Korean War Veterans Memorial.