FRUMPY NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM TO GET FACELIFT

The National History Museum on the Mall will undergo an $85 million renovation, which will feature a dramatic enclosure for the Stars and Stripes that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the British bombardment in 1814, says the WaPo.

The design adds balconies to the third floor, creates an exhibition gallery for the museum's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and gives the Carmichael Auditorium, off Constitution Avenue, an independent lobby. Sounds like some needed bling-bling.

The bulk of the $85 million will come from the feds and private donors. But $25 million still must be raised from other sources. Let's hope corporate donors don't slip their messages too far into the museum, either in terms of the exhibits, signage or whatever. Maybe we should charge admission to raise the $25 million.