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Located at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois, the First Division Museum is dedicated to the mission of the 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army, or Big Red One (BRO). The original museum's displays ended with the Vietnam war, so the space was renovated with expanded exhibits to continue the story of the First Division up to the present and into the future.

  • The renovation included upgraded HVAC systems and made improvements to the original exhibit space to make it more interactive and ADA compliant.
  • A large temporary exhibit and meeting room was transformed into a permanent home for new artifacts, such as a 10-foot piece of the Berlin Wall and a Medal of Honor.
  • New technology, such as virtual reality, allows visitors to personally experience a house raid, hear veterans explain their first-hand experiences and listen to tank chatter. To support the weight of the helicopter and Berlin Wall displays, Pepper reinforced the floor from the archive space below.

Team
Owner
Cantigny Foundation
Architect
DLA Architects, Inc.
Exhibit design and installation
Luci Creative and Ravenwood Studio
Project Location
Wheaton, Illinois
Size
35,000 SF

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