An exhibition of photographs by world renowned photographers entitled World Heritage Sites in the USA: A Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration will open to the public on September 19, 2008 at the Interior Museum in the U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240. The exhibition will be on view until January 9, 2009.
The United States was not only the first signatory to the World Heritage Convention; it was also among the handful of nations that put forth sites for inscription as World Heritage Sites in 1978. The Interior Museum, the National Park Service and National Geographic have teamed up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the inscription of Yellowstone and Mesa Verde National Parks on the World Heritage List by exhibiting photographs of all the World Heritage Sites which are within the boundaries of the United States as well as the new United States candidates for nomination (the “U.S. Tentative List”) to the World Heritage List.
Seventeen of the 20 U.S. sites on the World Heritage List are part of the National Park Service system, and the Park Service’s Office of International Affairs serves as the U.S. government’s technical advisor on World Heritage matters. World Heritage sites in the United States include such iconic landmarks as Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and the Statue of Liberty, along with lesser-known sites such as Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois – a prehistoric American Indian city -- and the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico, a still-active communal living structure built by Anasazi Indians before 1400.
More information about the exhibit and the Department of the Interior Museum can be found here.
The hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, except for Federal holidays. Museum is also open on the third Saturday of the month from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Please call ahead, (202) 208-4743, to confirm times.
The Museum is only a few blocks from the White House and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and other neighborhood museums. Metered parking is available on adjacent streets. To reach the museum by Metro, take the Blue or Orange line to the Farragut West station. Exit at 18th Street and walk five (5) blocks south to the Main Interior Building on E Street.
