For a century, millions of visitors have climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, stood beneath its soaring columns, and looked out over the National Mall, never knowing what lay hidden beneath their feet. On June 25, 2026, the Memorial opened its newly transformed undercroft to the public, and VHB is proud to have played a central role in making it possible.
Selected by the National Park Service (NPS) to lead the Memorial's 100th anniversary rehabilitation, VHB served as the prime consultant, bringing together a multidisciplinary team including Quinn Evans, Kirk Value Planners, TYLin, Affiliated Engineers, M2H Protection, Gary Steffy Lighting Design, Acoustic Distinctions, and Terracon to preserve and reimagine one of America's most sacred civic spaces. VHB’s work spanned civil engineering, landscape architecture, historic preservation, environmental assessment, surveying, and full construction oversight, all guided by a deep respect for what this landmark means to the people who visit it.
"What's remarkable about the undercroft is that it reframes the entire Memorial. For a hundred years, visitors experienced this space from the outside looking in," said Tim Smith, VHB Project Manager. "Now they can go beneath it, understand how it was built, and connect with its history in a completely different way."
The undercroft is the heart of the transformation. Hidden since the Memorial first opened in 1922, this 15,000-square-foot chamber beneath the structure reveals the concrete foundations that have quietly supported an American symbol for more than a hundred years. Visitors can now walk through interactive exhibits exploring how the Memorial was built, experience multimedia presentations tracing its role in the civil rights movement, and feel the full arc of its meaning, from construction to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and beyond.
"The Lincoln Memorial has always been more than a monument—it's a place where history lives and people come to connect with something larger than themselves," said Tim Hogan, VHB National Park Service Nationwide Program Manager. "Being part of the team that helped open this new chapter, one that lets visitors experience the Memorial in a way no generation before them could, is something our entire team is incredibly proud of."
Projects like the Lincoln Memorial reflect the broader work VHB does with cultural institutions across the country. From museums to memorials to civic gathering spaces, VHB brings real-world planning and design solutions to the places that shape how communities understand themselves and each other.
Learn more about how VHB is shaping Washington, DC.
