A new national museum for the U.S. Navy and an expansion of National Geographic's museum in Washington, D.C., are set to open in coming years, and economic development officials are hoping the sites will lure some needed foot traffic to commercial areas reeling from a lack of office workers visiting local businesses.
Both expansion projects are expected to attract Washingtonians and visitors to the nation’s capital with their larger spaces that focus on scientific exploration and naval history.
The National Geographic Society plans to open its Museum of Exploration in mid-2026 with a 400-seat theater, a restaurant and a retail store, quadrupling its previous museum space at the nonprofit group's headquarters at 1600 M St. NW in downtown Washington.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy selected the site for its new museum outside the Washington Navy Yard military installation and near the Nationals Park baseball stadium. The project is slated to break ground next year and will offer greater public access than at the current museum about a half mile away that's within the active naval base and requires strict security access to visit.
Visitors to the museums could bolster nearby restaurants and shops that are dealing with reduced sales because of the city's major drop in office workers since the pandemic and the rise of remote work.
The Navy and National Geographic museums offer an "opportunity to attract more visitors to areas like the Navy Yard and Dupont Circle, helping to boost local businesses in the hospitality, retail, and dining sectors," Tonya Kinlow, chair of the board for the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, told CoStar News in an email.
"By drawing more tourists into these neighborhoods, local shops, restaurants, and hotels will have greater visibility, potentially increasing foot traffic and creating more vibrant local economies," Kinlow said. "It could also be a great chance for businesses in those areas to collaborate on promotions or themed experiences tied to the museums."
Visitation patterns at U.S. museums haven't returned to their pre-pandemic levels, according to a survey released this month from the American Alliance of Museums.
National Geographic's plans
National Geographic's Museum of Exploration is looking to offer visitors immersive and educational experiences fueled by new technology.
The museum opened its first exhibition in 2009 in about 16,800 square feet of space, Nicole Kelly, a spokesperson for the National Geographic Society, told CoStar News in an email. The renovation and expansion project will bring the museum to more than 100,000 square feet.
Real estate firm JLL, construction firm HITT Contracting and architecture firm Hickok Cole are all working on the project.
The cost of the renovation and expansion has not been disclosed.
"The Museum of Exploration marks a historic chapter in the Society’s mission to advance exploration, science, education and storytelling, bringing these experiences to life in ways that spark curiosity, create lasting memories and invite everyone to embrace their inner Explorer,” Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO of the National Geographic Society, said in a statement.
The existing property includes National Geographic’s historic headquarters that encompasses three buildings totaling nearly 900,000 square feet and occupies a city block in downtown Washington, D.C.
Museum leaders are prioritizing sustainability best practices with the expansion and renovation, including plans to reuse water and relying on solar panels to supply a quarter of the building’s energy.
New Navy museum
The Navy plans to build a 100,000-square-foot museum, high-tech conference center and retail space with dining options between Tingey Street and M Street in the city’s southeast quadrant.
The project is designed with the goal of "honoring the rich history of our Navy," Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said in a statement.
The project is slated to break ground on the Navy’s 250th birthday on Oct. 13, 2025. Construction is estimated to cost around $250 million for phase one of the project that is anticipated to open between 2027 and 2030, with opportunities for additional phases totaling $500 million, according to Naval History and Heritage Command spokesperson Kristina Higgins.
The nonprofit Navy Museum Development Foundation will support the museum construction efforts and, once complete, its ongoing operations. So far, the Navy has secured $39.5 million in funding to launch the project, according to the foundation.
In May, the Navy signed a land exchange agreement with developer Redbrick LMD for the site at the northwest corner of the Washington Navy Yard, in exchange for land it has had at the southeast corner, to pave the way for the up-and-coming museum, according to the Navy.
At one point, the Navy owned the property, but in 1963, it ceded what was considered excess land at the time to the General Services Administration that eventually sold development rights to a private developer, the service added.
In April 2023, the Navy revealed it selected five architecture firms as design finalists for the new museum, CoStar News reported. But the final architecture firm has not yet been awarded and Higgins said there is not a specific timeline for the selection of a design plan.
The Navy’s existing, 50,000-square-foot museum inside Washington Navy Yard is expected to be used to support the new museum in the short term, Higgins said. Though renovation of that property was considered, the limited public access and needed infrastructure improvements added to the Navy’s choice to pick a different spot.
While the old museum garnered an average of 100,000 visitors per year, estimates indicate the new museum campus could attract 1.5 million visitors annually, Higgins said, who added that admission to the general public will be free.