Award-winning actor Joseph Mantegna,
national spokesperson for the museum,
says the lobby “features rich representations
of the Army’s history,” including
illuminated glass streamers overhead that
symbolize each Army campaign.
“At the southern end of the lobby, an
engraved Honor Wall commemorates
each of the battles fought in the Army’s
history,” he added. “An oversized Army
emblem is inlaid into the center of the
lobby’s terrazzo flooring.”
Mantegna said the lobby can be
re-configured for large private events
with capacity for up to 460 guests.
“Most of the time, however, this area
serves as a nexus for all of the museum’s
major exhibits and experiences,” he
explained. “To the east, the Soldiers’
Story Gallery, the Army Theater, and the
Army Concourse invite visitors to
delve deeper into Army history through
an immersive 360-degree video, fullscale
artifacts, and interactive exhibits.”
Paul Morando, Chief of Exhibits Division,
summarized it this way: “We’re telling the
Army’s story through soldiers’ stories.”
He went on to add that, “developing an
exhibit like this requires a lot of historic
research: photographs, what type of
barbed wire to use, what type of fence
posts to use; all these details need to
be correct and accurate in order to give
a visitor a more interactive experience.
When a visitor walks through, they feel
like they’ve walked into a battlefield.”
The National Museum of the United
States Army was designed by the
American architecture firm of Skidmore,
Owings & Merrill (SOM).
“Our partners at SOM did a magnificent
job helping us envision a museum that
would reflect the Army’s storied history,
its values, and the service of the 30
million men and women who have worn
its uniform,” said Lieutenant General
Roger Schultz, USA (Retired), president
of the Army Historical Foundation,
NMUSA’s official fund-raiser.
“SOM’s ability to produce such an
impressive design while ensuring the
museum is also green and sustainable is
a credit to their team and representative
of our shared values,” Schultz said.
Altogether, more than thirty different
organizations brought their expertise to
build this project that is now owned and
operated by the US Army.
The museum shares history in a dynamic,
yet intimate fashion, using innovations
34 ARMY 245: Call to Duty