The Newseum, that PR effigy of a "free press," is relocating to bigger grounds, which certainly are not free. The Newseum will become the anchor tenant in a new $250mm retail, residential and conference center development in downtown Washington -- fitting since newspapers themselves exist mainly as a forum for retail and residential advertisements. In newspaper accounts, spokespeople for The Freedom Foundation applauded the new deal, though newspaper accounts failed to mention the Foundation's key role in the care and feeding of the place.

The new Newseum would occupy a corner of Pennsylvania Avenue across from The National Gallery of Art, moving from its current location across the Potomac River in Arlington, VA (next to where USA Today, joined at the hip with The Freedom Forum, has its HQ). The new location will be double the size that of the old site's 72,000 square feet, so maybe twice as many points of view will be included.

Washington, DC is being offered $100mm for the site, which used to house the DC Department of Employment. As part of its PR flax, to be spun by the free press, the offer includes a $25mm grant for low and middle income housing, to be built somewhere away from the non-low income multi-use facility. Update: August 2004 -- still waiting for the Newseum to reopen in DC. [07/30/2000]

November 26, 2009