Construction of Yorktown Victory Center Replacement to Begin This Month

YORKTOWN, Va., June 15, 2012 – Work begins this month on building the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown to replace the Yorktown Victory Center. W.M. Jordan Company, Inc., of Newport News is construction manager for the first phases of the project, expected to total $20.7 million, including a new 80,000-square-foot facility and visitor parking areas and eventual demolition of existing structures.

The Yorktown Victory Center, located at Route 1020 and the Colonial Parkway in Yorktown, is operated by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, a Virginia state agency, and the museum replacement project is funded primarily through the sale of Virginia Public Building Authority bonds. Private donations will support elements of gallery and outdoor exhibits and educational resources.

While some exhibits and parking availability will be impacted at various stages, the Yorktown Victory Center will continue in operation as a museum of the American Revolution throughout construction. “We are committed to providing our visitors an excellent experience while construction is under way,” Foundation Executive Director Philip G. Emerson said, “and are planning additional interpretive demonstrations and interactive experiences.”

The phases managed by W.M. Jordan Company start with a section of new parking space and removal of the museum’s “Road to Revolution” open-air timeline exhibit, continue with construction of the new building, and conclude with demolition of existing gallery, visitor services and maintenance buildings.

The new building, situated on the 22-acre site to directly face the roadway entrance to the museum, will encompass expanded exhibition galleries, classrooms and support functions. New permanent gallery exhibits will be fabricated and installed over an approximately two-year period after the building is in use, and the museum’s outdoor re-created Continental Army encampment and Revolutionary-period farm will be expanded and relocated.

Architect for the museum replacement project is Westlake Reed Leskosky of Cleveland, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., with Hopke & Associates of Williamsburg as associate architect. Gallagher & Associates of Silver Spring, Md., is exhibit designer. Upon completion of the entire project, “American Revolution Museum at Yorktown” will be the museum’s name.