The White House Historical Association launched their new educational, technology-rich project called 'The People's House,' which would open to the public in 2024.
The $30 million educational center would be operated by advanced technology to educate the public about the renowned executive mansion and its history.
White House New Project 'The People's House'
The educational center would be positioned on three floors of a building a block from the White House at Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street.
"This will be a technology-rich, immersive experience where you will actually go into spaces and, due to the miracles of modern technology, those spaces will become White House rooms around you," Stewart McLaurin, the association's president, said.
According to AP News, the center would feature a representation model with the help of high-end technology. The rooms would morph into the Green Room, the Blue Room, or the Red Room.
Furthermore, the center would present a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, displaying the current president's decoration. There would also be a recreation of the Rose Garden and would offer the experience of strolling through its blooms.
Upstairs galleries would let the visitors have access to experience the Cabinet Room, the State Dining Room, and the movie theater. The visitors would also see the people working behind the mansion, such as the ushers, chefs, florists, butlers, housekeepers, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters.
The center would educate the visitors about the slave labor that went into building the White House. McLaurin said that the new project was meant for the people to visit, especially for those unable to land a tour ticket.
"When you have a tour of the White House, as wonderful as that is because it is a working home and office, those are rather limited, and you go through and see the spaces, and you have the experience of being there," he said.
McLaurin said as an educator that, she believes that the past was connected to the present and future. Biden also thought that education was needed now more than ever when institutions were increasingly under attack, and some of the leaders seemed intent on burying history.
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Association's Premiere Fundraising Gala
On Thursday, the donors for the new project attended the association's premiere fundraising gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
First Lady Jill Biden commended the project before the crowd at the gala. Several actors like Michael Douglas and Martin Sheen, who portrayed the role of the president on TV and film, also attended the event.
McLaurin announced that the center would be open seven days a week. He said that about 500,000 people visit the White House yearly, and he hopes that the new center would surpass the number of usual visitors.
Furthermore, the association was raising an additional $50 million for an endowment to fund operations.
