Nine galleries have now closed at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum as part of a massive, multiyear renovation the museum says will "radically transform" the space.
Two galleries on the east wing of the museum, "Apollo to the Moon" and "Looking at Earth" closed in December, and the following galleries in the west wing are also now closed:
— "America by Air"
— "Sea-Air Operations"
— "Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles"
— "Golden Age of Flight"
— "World War II Aviation"
— "Jet Aviation"
— "Legend, Memory and the Great War in the Air"
The west-wing galleries are scheduled to reopen in 2022, but the seven-year project will continue.
The museum will remain open throughout the renovation, but it will require staggered closures of galleries, as well as closures of the museum's shops, theaters and cafe.
The project will also include a new exterior design on the museum's National Mall entrance.
The Smithsonian said the work will also require barriers along the museum's exterior perimeter, so be prepared for sidewalk and street lane closures around the museum.
