Davis Brody Bond

In the twenty-three years since its founding, The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum has experienced significant growth, becoming one of the State’s great tourist attractions with over two million visitors annually. The decision to relocate the museum from its current home to a “fragile” East Baltimore neighborhood was a conscious one stemming from a desire to nurture a strong relationship between the institution and its community. Floating above the existing row homes of East North Avenue with a transparent first floor, the cultural program is organized around a central garden stepping with the topography of the site. Gallery spaces, a children’s museum, genealogy center, cafe, conference center and administrative areas are situated within the context of a landscape park. An elevated roof terrace reinforces the notion of public space and connects with the vistas of greater Baltimore.