The Smithsonian is exceeding its fund raising goals, top officials reported today, and the innovative plans for a London outpost by 2021 are moving forward.
Officials spoke to reporters after a quarterly Board of Regents’ meeting. The new secretary, David Skorton, president of Cornell University, takes over July 1.
“Fund raising is strong,” said Acting Secretary Albert Horvath. The Smithsonian is ahead of schedule and has now raised $1.1 billion of its stated goal of $1.5 billion by 2017. The goal for 2015 is $200 million. The Smithsonian has federal funding that pays for about 60 percent of its costs and the rest comes from private sources.
Meanwhile, the plan to have a “Smithsonian in London” continues. “We are understanding how the building will work,” said Horvath of the proposed project. The city of London’s development corporation is building a cultural center in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a site of the 2012 Summer Olympics, and wants the Smithsonian to be part of it.
“The concept is for a 600,000 sq. ft. structure,” said John McCarter, Chair of the 17-member Board of Regents, with the Smithsonian occupying 40,000 sq. ft. of it. The building will be paid for by the British development corporation although the Americans will apparently have a say in the choice of architect. The East London location is a transportation hub with the housing that was for the Olympic athletes now converted into condos. “There’s a lot of vibrancy in the community,” said McCarter, with artists and young people attracted to the area.
The Smithsonian anticipates the operational costs at being from $5 million to $7 million, said Horvath. Asked if the plan was for the facility to be a “pop-up” museum or one that continued indefinitely, McCarter said, “We believe it’s going to last a long, long time.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said that the Board of Regents met for the last time before the new secretary takes over July 1. There will be a meeting June 15. This version also clarifies that the Smithsonian will occupy 40,000 sq. ft. of the London structure.