Lincoln Memorial Undercroft Museum Opens June 25

A new museum beneath the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., will open to the public on June 25, 2026, after a decade of planning and $69 million in construction. The 15,000-square-foot exhibition space occupies the memorial's undercroft, a 43,800-square-foot vault with 122 concrete columns that has been off-limits since the memorial's completion in 1922. Visitors will learn about the structure's construction and its role in American history, including Marian Anderson's 1939 concert and Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 'I Have a Dream' speech. The museum features floor-to-ceiling glass panels revealing the foundations, multimedia projections on columns, and immersive theater. The National Park Service, which announced the project in 2016, manages the site. Tickets are available for reservation.