Museum of the Albemarle

The Museum of the Albemarle interprets the cultural and natural history of Albemarle Sound, a coastal body of water that is protected from the Atlantic by the Outer Banks.

Client

State of North Carolina

Location Elizabeth City, NC
Size 50,000 Sq. Ft.
Features waterfront
Program exhibit spaces, event space, meeting space, offices
Year Completed 2006
Photo Credit James West
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The site is the waterfront of Elizabeth City, an historic community of 16,000 that is linked to the seafaring life of the sound. It is an area replete with the history of American Indians, colonial settlers, maritime commerce, civil war action, and the birth of flight at nearby Kitty Hawk.

The museum provides new focus to the Elizabeth City waterfront and strengthens the edge of the central business district. The building's large sloping eaves frame the building's entrance and offer a gesture of welcome to visitors. A cupola serves as an abstracted lighthouse for the sound and an icon for the museum.

Centerbrook was the design architect and Hayes, Seay, Mattern and Matter was the architect of record.