Envisioned as a place of contemplation and inspiration, the National Slavery Museum is conceptualized as an anchor connecting the historic sites of Shockoe Bottom as part of the Schockoe Project. Serving as the nation’s only museum dedicated specifically to the “peculiar institution” of slavery in the United States, The National Slavery Museum is meant to be a 62,100 SF facility that will serve as the anchor point for a global site of conscience. With design themes that pay homage to African culture and traditions, the museum rises high into the air above the sacred ground of the African Burial Ground and Memorial to stand as a sentinel, watching over and protecting the ancestors. The museum is composed of permanent, rotating, and interactive exhibitions, academic and genealogical research areas, resource libraries, and spaces to record precious oral histories.