When designing the Museum building, architect James Ingo Freed created an architectural relationship between the building and the exhibitions inside. The result is not a neutral shell. Instead, the architecture refers to the history the Museum addresses, with numerous architectural allusions to the Holocaust. Visitors are able to form their own interpretations of these subtle metaphors of history, often a catalyst for thought and introspection. Within the Museum, there are many things to see and do.
The museum building is organized by the principles it was built to support: education and remembrance. Museum exhibitions, the foundation of our educational presentations, exist on four floors. Many visitors begin with the Permanent Exhibition, which can take up to several hours to tour. Smaller special exhibitions take less time to view and provide microcosmic stories within the greater history. Another mission of the Museum building is to serve as a memorial to the victims. Visitors are invited to spend time reflecting in the Hall of Remembrance, on the lower level on the south side of the building.
The Museum serves as a research facility for scholars, teachers, and students of all ages. The Library and the Archives (Fifth Floor), Wexner Center (Second Floor), and Benjamin and Vladka Meed Registry of Jewish Holocaust Survivors (Second Floor) provide opportunities for visitors to learn about the history of the Holocaust.
Wexner Center »
Library »
Collections »
The Museum Café, in the Ross Administrative Center adjacent to the Museum, is now open from 8:30 a.m – 4:30 p.m, 7 days a week. No food or beverages are allowed in the Museum itself. You may ensure that a kosher meal is available when you visit by contacting cafe@ushmm.org or call the Café at (202) 488–6151.
And please stop by the Museum Shop. There you can find books, academic publications, and music. The Shop is open from 10 a.m. – 5:20 p.m.
