With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Latest addition to National World War II Museum to open this year in New Orleans

In a city known for taking its time, a major new building seems to be leaping to life at the corner of Magazine Street and Higgins Drive.

It's the latest addition to the National World War II Museum: the Victory Theater and Stage Door Canteen, they call it, housing a 250-seat high-tech movie theater, along with a stage for live shows, a restaurant, a dance floor and a bar.

At 71,000 square feet, the complex nearly doubles the size of the museum and makes it the city's largest.

"It blows my mind," said Nick Mueller, the museum's president. "There's a wow factor every time I go in there."

The first piles for the building were driven in February 2008, and construction is now about 60 percent finished. The opening -- complete with hoopla and dignitaries -- is set for Nov. 5 and 6.
Read entire article at New Orleans Times Picyune