A New Navy Museum on M St. SE – 5 Aspirational Concepts
By Larry Janezich
Posted July 26, 2024
The Navy is relocating its National Museum of the US Navy to M Street, SE, to alleviate security concerns associated with high rise development of the M Street site by private developers and to provide greater public access to the museum. The site is currently owned by GSA which is engaged in a land swap for a piece of the Navy Yard’s SE corner for the purpose.
The Navy held a preliminary competition to explore the design possibilities for the new Navy Museum, and five major architectural firms were selected to present concepts. These concepts are not part of the final competition for the design of the museum which will come later in the process. Rather, this competition was to platform the new museum and stir interest among architectural firms, the public, and the Navy at large.
In April of 2013, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro unveiled five conceptual renderings from five architecture firms: Bjarke Ingels Group, DLR Group, Frank Gehry Partners, Perkins&Will and Quinn Evans. Here are the concepts and an image of the current museum:
Bjarke Ingels Group
DLR Group
Frank Gehry Partners
Perkins & Will
Quinn Evans.
The current National Museum of the United States Navy
For more on the concepts and the April 2023 unveiling, go here: https://bit.ly/4cXvT5s
The relocation of the Navy Museum from its current location inside the Navy Yard to 5th and M Street, SE – close to Harris Teeters – is possible because of the land swap by which a 15 acre parcel of land in the SE comer of the Navy Yard would be exchanged for a 6 acre parcel owned by the General Services Administration just outside the NW corner of the Navy Yard. The 15 acre parcel GSA would receive would be opened for mixed use development including retail and inclusionary housing. Before the swap can be done, the land inside the Navy Yard will have to be zoned for development. That process is underway and the DC Zoning Commission will take up a Zoning application in the fall.
Here’s an image of the two parcels. The SE parcel where the Navy Museum currently resides is at the lower right and outlined in blue. The NW parcel where the new museum will be located is at the upper left and outlined in red.
Here’s a link to a recent CHC post: Photo Essay – Touring the Navy Yard’s Navy Museum https://bit.ly/3xYy6i7
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 
Thank you, Larry, for bringing us up-to-date on the Navy Museum, Can’t wait for it in its new being. Miss visiting it. Of course haven’t been for too many long years. Always used to take visitors. Remember the open days fondly – with children scrambling all over all manner of naval artifacts, like planes, canon, tanks (well, maybe not tanks)….will be good to have it back – and readily accessible – in our community.
And (not that anyone will be interested)…my vote goes to Bjarke Ingels Group
Totally agree and support building a new Naval Museum outside of the Navy Yard. Where the Navy will get many more visitors to enjoy the U. S. Naval History. The U. S. Marine Corps Museum at Quantico located off Route #1 gets 1000s of visitors every year and that is partly due to its location and ease of entry. Go Navy!