Smithsonian Museum to open outpost in London's Olympic Park

The Smithsonian in London will host a permanent and rotating set of exhibitions from the the museum's other sites

Andrew Griffin
Wednesday 28 January 2015 15:05 GMT
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Press take photos of the Space Shuttle at the Smithsonian
Press take photos of the Space Shuttle at the Smithsonian

The American Smithsonian Museum is looking to open an outpost in London’s Olympic Park.

Developers of the Olympic Park have found $50 million in private contributions that will help the Smithsonian to be a central part of a new “Olympicopolis” cultural centre that would open in 2021.

The outpost would feature exhibits from all of the Smithsonian sites, including its National National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of American History and National Museum of Natural History and various art galleries. Some of the exhibitions would stay permanently, while others would be rotated from their homes in the US.

British money first established the Smithsonian in 1846. English scientist James Smithson left a $500,000 bequest to establish an institution "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." While the Smithsonian has nearly 200 affiliate museums across the US and its own 19 museums in Washington and New York, this would be the first time it has opened a museum venue beyond U.S. borders.

The Louvre, the British Museum and other major museums also have expanded globally, said John McCarter, chairman of the Smithsonian Board of Regents.

"This is an opportunity for the Smithsonian to move into a global context in the way some of our peer institutions ... have done," he said. "So it's a great opportunity for us to get started and really to tell America's story."

Fireworks go off over the Olympic Park at the end of the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games at the Fisht Olympic Stadium

London, he said, is an ideal location as a "multicultural tourist beacon of millions of people." The new cultural center would have train access to London and the rest of Britain and Europe. Already a shopping mall near the site draws millions of visitors, McCarter said.

If the deal is finalised, the Smithsonian would join the Victoria and Albert Museum, University College London, University of the Arts London and Sadler's Wells Theatre as partners in the new Olympicopolis. The cultural complex would be situated near London's 2012 Olympic Stadium, swimming facility, athlete housing that is being converted to condominiums and a press center being converted to startup space for new businesses.

Museum officials said it's too soon to say whether the exhibits might sometimes include such Smithsonian treasures as Dorothy's ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz," the Apollo space capsule that carried astronauts to the moon, or artwork saved from the British burning of the White House. But Smithsonian leaders want to expand their reach to people who don't know much about the most popular US. museums.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson welcomes the Governor of Tokyo Mr Yoichi Masuzoe to the Olympic Park in London, where he showed him the various London 2012 Olympic venues ahead of Tokyo hosting the 2020 Games

"We envision this as being a Smithsonian facility that really allows us to show the breadth and depth of everything that we do," Smithsonian Acting Secretary Al Horvath said. "So it won't be specifically focused on one topic but will allow us to run the gamut of things that we do — history, science, art, culture and the like."

Smithsonian officials have consulted with political leaders and diplomats in Britain and the United States in pursuing the arrangement. They assured U.S. congressional leaders that the Smithsonian will not seek federal funding to support the expansion, Horvath said.

The estimated operating cost of $5 million to $7 million annually would be supported through private fundraising, admission fees for certain programs, and retail or other offerings. Admission to the cultural center would be free. A design competition is under way to select an architect.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

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