Big Debuts: Spy Museum, Apple Carnegie Library
By • May 6, 2019 0 1996
The nation’s capital has a busy week with two blockbuster grand openings — amid everything else that is going on.
International Spy Museum
International Spy Museum at L’Enfant Plaza. Courtesy ISM.
The new, 140,000-square-foot home for the International Spy Museum will open to the public on Sunday, May 12, with expanded exhibition spaces that “draw back the curtain on this secret world,” the museum said. “The brand-new building includes completely new exhibits and interactives, and the world’s largest public display of authentic spy gadgets. The non-profit museum offers an experience to engage everyone from young children to intelligence experts.”
The official ribbon cutting will be on Saturday, May 11, with an evening gala.
The Spy Museum’s executive director is Col. Christopher P. Costa, who served for more than 30 years in national security and intelligence, including the post of senior director for counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council, before joining the museum.
Formerly on F Street NW across from the National Portrait Gallery, the International Spy Museum, a ticketed museum that opened in 2002, is located at 700 L’Enfant Plaza SW. Visit spymuseum.org for grand opening details.
Apple Carnegie Library
Apple Carnegie Library. Courtesy Apple.
The second Apple Store in Washington, D.C. — Apple Carnegie Library — will open Saturday, May 11, alongside the new D.C. History Center. The first D.C. location is on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown.
“Together, let’s create the next chapter,” announced the world-famous hardware-software company, founded in 1976. “Inspired by the rich history of Carnegie Library, we are reimagining Apple Carnegie Library as a brand-new space to learn. where everyone is welcome to come and discover all kinds of creativity, connect with new ideas, and share their stories.”
To celebrate the opening, Apple also announced a six-week StoryMaker Festival with 40 local D.C. creatives that will run May 18 to June 29. The festival includes a performance during kickoff weekend from D.C. rapper GoldLink and wraps up with a block party celebration with No Kings Collective.
The rehabilitation of the Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square cost $30 million, including the Apple and D.C. History Center spaces.
Visit apple.com/retail/carnegie for details on grand opening events.
