Tonight, Charleston City Council will vote on a construction contract with Turner Construction Company to build the International African American Museum for a Guaranteed Maximum Price of $58,457,323.
In addition to the construction contract, the following items related to the museum are on the meeting’s agenda:
- Owner’s Agreement between the city and the IAAM non-profit for the property located at 14 Wharfside Street
- Construction Management Contract with Cumming Construction Management, Inc. in the amount of $767,689 for Phase I construction and project management services
- Professional Services Contract with S&ME Inc. in the amount of $163,800 for materials testing and inspection services
- Undergrounding Other Work in Progress Agreement with Dominion Energy in the amount of $843,909 for engineering services and construction to convert overhead electric distribution to underground services on Concord Street
The museum will be built at Gadsden’s Wharf, the site where thousands of enslaved people arrived in Charleston, and will include interactive exhibits, a center for family history, and a memorial garden.
Plans to build the museum were first announced in 2000 and, since then, upwards of $90 million have been raised for the project. It is scheduled to break ground in 2019 and open its doors in 2021.
The building’s architecture is being directed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Moody Nolan. Henry Cobb and Curtis Moody are jointly leading the effort.
Tonight’s City Council meeting will begin at 5 p.m. at Crosstowne Church, located at 1941 Bees Ferry Road.