A museum of biblical proportions

WASHINGTON—Amid snow flurries in the nation’s capital, construction on the world’s first museum devoted solely to the Bible ramped up Thursday as demolition began on the site near Capitol Hill.

“It’s an exciting day for us,” said Steve Green, president of the craft store chain Hobby Lobby, who birthed the idea for the museum. “It’s been a dream, and it’s becoming a reality.”

The Museum of the Bible is a $400 million project scheduled for completion in 2017 and will feature the Green Collection, one of the world’s largest private compilations of biblical texts and artifacts. On Thursday, organizers unveiled floor designs and electronic renderings of the building, which will include five permanent floor exhibits focused on the impact, narrative, and history of the Bible, long-term international libraries, and long-term international museum galleries.

Cary Summers, the museum’s president, said the facility will have regular loan rotations from other libraries, so “if you went to the museum every single month, you’d literally see something new every time.” He compared the building’s size to the National Museum of the American Indian and the coming National Museum of African-American History and Culture, only in an eight-floor format.

Clark Construction and Smith Group JJR—firms responsible for multiple Smithsonian museums and the White House visitor’s center renovation—will oversee the transformation of what was once a historic refrigeration warehouse and interior design showcase. Firms that have managed such projects as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Disney’s Hollywood Studio in Orlando will handle individual floor designs.

“They gave us no rules except for one, and that was to create the best museum in the world,” said Brian Flegel, the museum’s project director and senior vice president of Clark Construction.

Green, who began acquiring items in 2009, has swiftly amassed more than 44,000 pieces, including such rare items as Dead Sea Scrolls fragments and the earliest known Jewish prayer book. He told reporters his goal is to further scholarly understanding of the Bible and encourage individuals from all walks of life to engage with the book, not necessarily to convert them to Christianity.

“Our family has had a love for the Bible that has been passed down for generations,” Green said, adding that he believes the Bible is God-inspired. “We would like to invite all people to come and learn about the book that’s impacted our world.”

The Green Collection has traveled to five U.S. cities and three countries: Cuba, Israel, and the Vatican, where visitors from some 100 nations have viewed the artifacts. Green said there are “always holes in any collection” and he will continue to look for opportunities to fill them.

Organizers selected Washington, D.C., over Dallas and New York City because “it’s the museum capital of the world,” but they said the experience will include more than static historical pieces. The museum will be an interactive, state-of-the-art facility, complete with a 200-foot LED ceiling, a cafe serving foods of the Bible, and a rooftop biblical garden featuring panoramic views of the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol. It also will have a ballroom and a theater.

Summers said the museum will have a small admission fee, but the exact amount has not been determined. The 430,000-square-foot structure is a three-minute walk south of the popular National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.