• By Sarah Ridgely
• August 26, 2021

Construction Watch: Johns Hopkins University’s New Washington, D.C. Center

If you’ve recently visited the U.S. Capitol or the National Gallery of Art, you may have noticed a large construction project at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. That site, previously home to the Newseum, is undergoing renovations into a state-of the-art education hub for Johns Hopkins University. The project was last reviewed by NCPC in April 2020 and includes comprehensive structural and architectural renovations to introduce more sunlight, increase square footage, and support the university’s sustainability goals.

The new facility will be anchored by the School of Advanced International Studies, currently located near the Dupont Circle on Massachusetts Avenue, NW. It will also house all of Johns Hopkins’ Washington-based academic programs, as well as programs from all academic divisions.

The building’s exterior will feature a new stone façade and entry vestibule. A new café to be open to the public will be located next to the Embassy of Canada, taking advantage of the site’s shady space and generous sidewalk area. The four-story, 50-ton First Amendment marble tablet that was previously displayed on the Newseum's façade was carefully removed and shipped to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA, where it will go on exhibit in the second-floor atrium.

The new Johns Hopkins building is slated to open in 2023 and expected to draw activity to Pennsylvania Avenue’s east end throughout the day and into the evenings.