The Newseum, D.C.’s interactive museum dedicated to journalism and free press, opened its doors for the last time on December 31, 2019, before permanently shutting them, after 11 years of operating.
Located on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the museum has attracted over 800,000 visitors every year, while airing news broadcasts through its television studios.
The Newseum had announced in January 2019 that it was selling its building to Johns Hopkins University for $372.5 million. The decision came as a result of the museum’s financial struggles.
General admission tickets were around $25 for adults and $15 for children, which made it difficult for the entity to compete with free museums in the city.
Johns Hopkins University is reportedly planning to move its School of Advanced International Studies and some other D.C.-based graduate programs in business, nursing, and arts and sciences to its newly acquired place.
You still have time to visit us ONE FINAL TIME before the end of the year. Remember, you’re #OnDeadline.
Get a 15% discount online with promo code: 15OFF. https://t.co/kKtmCmQHTd pic.twitter.com/lJPTqyGiev
— Freedom Forum (@1stForAll) December 29, 2019
All the historic items in the Newseum will be kept in storage until the Freedom Forum, which created the museum and has been its primary funder, finds a convenient location to reopen it.
“This was a difficult decision, but it was the responsible one,” Jan Neuharth, chair and chief executive of the Freedom Forum, told The Washington Post earlier in 2019.
“We remain committed to continuing our programs — in a financially sustainable way — to champion the five freedoms of the First Amendment and to increase public awareness about the importance of a free and fair press. With today’s announcement, we can begin to explore all options to find a new home in the Washington, D.C. area.”
The @Newseum may be closing its current location, but you can still see the journalism museum's traveling show #PulitzerPrizePhotographs here through January 20, 2020. #FindYourselfHerehttps://t.co/v0disFXTm7
— Missouri History Museum (@mohistorymuseum) December 30, 2019
Even though there has been no announced plans yet about a physical location, the museum will continue its mission on digital platforms, as well as moving exhibits, and online school programs.
The museum is known for promoting the First Amendment in its 250,000-square-foot area featuring 15 theaters and 15 galleries devoted to world press freedom, news history, the history of communication and similar topics. Its “Today’s Front Pages Gallery” made available daily front pages from over 80 international newspapers. It first opened in Rosslyn, Virginia, in 1997 and then moved to its D.C. location in 2008.