A long-hidden space beneath former President Abraham Lincoln’s memorial is set to welcome the public Thursday, as a new video from the U.S. Department of the Interior offers a first look at rarely seen views from beneath the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
With advance reservations, guests can tour the newly opened Lincoln Memorial Undercroft free of charge — a 15,000-square-foot museum built directly below one of the nation’s most recognizable landmarks.
For a century, the vast structural void remained unused, an underground chamber once likened to a “two-story shopping mall” and held up by 122 massive concrete columns.
The effort has taken a decade to realize, supported by $26 million in federal funding and $48 million from the National Park Foundation. Construction formally began in 2023, according to Julie Moore, vice president of communications for the Trust for the National Mall.
Today, the space has been transformed with a glass-enclosed exhibition area suspended among the original infrastructure beneath the statue of the nation’s 16th president.
The long-awaited museum includes hands-on exhibits, multimedia video installations and a bookstore for visitors.
Among the most exciting historical treasures on display are original copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, complete with Lincoln’s signature, according to the Department of the Interior.
Visitors will also get a unique glimpse into the memorial’s construction, featuring historical tools and authentic graffiti left behind by original workers in the 1920s.
Beyond its physical foundations, Moore said, the undercroft tells the story of how the Lincoln Memorial evolved into America’s “civic stage.”
Exhibits highlight the site’s profound role in civil rights history, memorializing historic events like Marian Anderson’s 1939 concert and the March on Washington.
Advance reservations can be made through recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777.
Visitors can book up to 30 days in advance, or get walk-up tickets on a first-come, first-served basis daily at 8:45 a.m. local time at the nearby Korean War Veterans Memorial kiosk.
