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International Spy Museum

International Spy Museum
International Spy Museum.png
International Spy Museum is located in Central Washington, D.C.
International Spy Museum
Location within Washington, D.C.
Established July 19, 2002 (2002-07-19)
Location 800 F Street Northwest
Washington, DC
United States
Coordinates 38°53′49″N 77°01′24″W / 38.8969°N 77.0234°W / 38.8969; -77.0234Coordinates: 38°53′49″N 77°01′24″W / 38.8969°N 77.0234°W / 38.8969; -77.0234
Visitors Approx. 600,000 annually
Director Peter Earnest
Public transit access WMATA Metro Logo.svg           Gallery Place–Chinatown
Website www.spymuseum.org

The International Spy Museum is a privately owned museum dedicated to the tradecraft, history and contemporary role of espionage, featuring the largest collection of international espionage artifacts currently on public display. The museum is located within the 1875 Le Droit Building in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across the street from the Old Patent Office Building (which houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery) and one block south of the Gallery Place Metro station via Red, Green and Yellow lines. In April 2015, plans for a new museum designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners were released. The Museum will move to L'Enfant Plaza, with expected re-opening in 2018.

The museum was built and founded by Milton Maltz and The House on F Street, L.L.C. at a cost of approximately $40 million. The museum was first conceptualized in 1996 and opened to the public in 2002. It is one of the few museums in Washington DC that charges admission fees.

The International Spy Museum was formed as a for-profit organization by Milton Maltz and The Malrite Company. Milton Maltz, a code-breaker during the Korean War, founded the Malrite Communications Group in 1956 (which later became The Malrite Company) and was CEO until it was sold in 1998.

The Malrite Company provided half of the foundation cost of the International Spy Museum. The other $20 million came from the District of Columbia as enterprise zone bonds and TIF bonds. The International Spy Museum is part of the ongoing rejuvenation of the Penn Quarter in D.C., kicked off in the 1980s by the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation.

More than 750 artifacts are on public display within the 20,000 square feet (1900 m²) of exhibition space, supported with historic photographs, interactive displays, film, and video. The permanent collection traces the complete history of espionage, from the Greek and Roman empires, the British Empire, the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, both World Wars, the Cold War, and through present day espionage activity. Exhibits include:


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