Members of the Executive Board of the National Medal of Honor Center for Leadership unveiled their plans to the full council of the Town of Mount Pleasant at the December 8, 2020, meeting. Local firm Glick Boehm Architecture made the presentation, which included an iconic tribute to the American Flag. The conceptual plans for the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum, to be housed inside the National Medal of Honor Center for Leadership, were met with a positive council reception that included an impromptu ovation, initiated by council member Gary Santos.
“Our team has been enthusiastically engaged over the last eighteen months—and especially during the long impairment of the coronavirus,” said Chairman of the Board, Tommy McQueeney. “We have developed our case for support, our land plan, our exhibit design, and our architectural concept. We have committed ourselves to the tenets and restrictions set forth by the Patriots Point Development Authority, the Town of Mount Pleasant, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. I could not be prouder of this high-powered local board and their personal sacrifice to include extraordinary generosity supporting this cause.”
The new museum will embody fifty-thousand square feet of exhibit, office, conference, classroom, and archive space on two floors with an overall height not to exceed fifty feet. The setting upon the natural vista of Charleston Harbor promises to become one of the more idyllic views in the Lowcountry.
“We began this journey with a projection of $35 million for a building, $10 million for the interior exhibits and furnishings, and another $5 million for sustainability. What we have been able to determine in our initial cost analysis is that we can get under that total package number allowing a ten percent contingency allowance. Our plan is imminently doable. We will be able to reach out digitally into youthful classrooms across America with programs extolling the selfless sacrifice and exemplary leadership of our country’s greatest heroes,” McQueeney added.
Executive Board Vice Chairman Neil Robinson said, “Our intent is to inspire, educate, honor, and unite others. We have remained focused upon providing a transformative impact on our young people nationally through immersive exhibits and exciting online education and leadership programs.”
The new museum and L&E Center are expected to increase visitation to Patriots Point by an estimated 240,000 patrons per year. Organizers anticipate that this entrance-located facility will enhance all other properties and attractions—the Yorktown complex, Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, Fort Sumter Tours, and the planned Patriots Annex addition of hotels, retail, outdoor amphitheater, water features, and parking. “It makes Patriots Point truly a national destination,” stated Executive Board member Jimmy Bagwell. “We will redirect our attention to the fundraising campaign in January. This promises to lift us all out of the virus era and catapult the community back into tourist-enhanced life that uplifts everyone.”
Read more on The Congressional Medal of Honor Museum and The National Medal of Honor Center for Leadership plans to open on Memorial Day (May 27) of 2024.
