History Behind the Dome in Rosslyn

The Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation, until recently was headquartered at 1101 Wilson Boulevard. The foundation focuses on three priorities: the Newseum; the First Amendment; and newsroom diversity. In 1992, the Freedom Forum announced that it would build the Newseum, a museum of news, in Arlington. From 1993 through 1999, the Arlington County Board approved several site plan amendments for the subject site, granting modifications and bonus floor area to facilitate the construction and operations of the Newseum.

The Newseum, the world’s first interactive museum of news, opened in Arlington on April 18, 1997. The Newseum was located at 1101 Wilson Boulevard – just two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro Station and minutes from the Iwo Jima Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. It was a $50 million, state-of-the-art, facility designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates. Its mission: to help the public and the news media better understand one another better. In five years, the Newseum became an internationally recognized attraction, drawing more than 2.25 million visitors and receiving critical acclaim – from press and public alike – for its exhibits and programs. Visitors were entertained and educated as they explored the story behind the news. This facility closed in March 2002 to permit Newseum staff to focus exclusively on planning and developing a new museum to be located in Washington, DC.

On December 15, 2007, the County Board approved a site plan amendment which provided the County with the Newseum space to be used as a museum or cultural use with associated uses, subject to: all previous conditions; three new conditions which apply solely to the subject space; and approval of the major amendment to Site Plan #18 (1812 North Moore Street project). For more information, read the Site Plan Recommendation and the Supplemental Report.

In the presentation to the County Board, the County Manager set forth three options for the space which were being explored by staff: a world-renowned private arts museum; a not-for-profit entity established to manage and operate the space; and the County’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources to manage and operate the space. Staff continues to define and provide detail on the three current options as well as any new opportunities.

In the approval of the site plan amendment, three specific goals, for the use of the Newseum space, were identified by the County Board:

1. maximizing the economic and cultural potential of the space;
2. providing a regional/national attraction; and
3. leveraging private investments while minimizing out-year County capital and operating costs.

If you believe that you, or a group that you represent, can fulfill these specific criteria, we invite you to fill out a brief questionnaire (PDF document; Adobe Acrobat required.