BETHESDA, MD.-Bethesda , Md. -based Gallagher & Associates is nearing completion of the design of 22,000 square feet of interactive exhibits for the new Sports Museum of America, scheduled to open in 2008 in Lower Manhattan . The exhibits will celebrate more than 150 years of sports history in the U.S.

Gallagher & Associates, which has designed sports museums and halls of fame across the U.S. , is known for creating highly interactive and entertaining museum exhibits and environmental graphics that help draw impressive numbers of visitors. In addition to its work in sports museums, the firm has completed such successful projects as the International Spy Museum and the National Archives Experience exhibit, both in Washington , D.C. The firm recently completed new exhibits and environmental graphics for the 400th anniversary celebration of the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia and is currently at work on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ new museum in Hollywood .

The $93-million Sports Museum of America will showcase a wide variety of sports and will include such memorabilia as college football’s Heisman Trophy. The venue will include a 180-degree immersion theater; interactive sports entertainment; and café, retail, and special event space. Beyer Blinder Belle, the architect for the project, has worked closely with Gallagher & Associates since the project’s inception to create a lively museum concept that offers something for everyone.

“The excitement of sports lends itself to an immersive museum experience—one that engages and entertains visitors of all ages,” says Terence Healy, principal-in-charge of design for Gallagher & Associates. “The Sports Museum of America will cover all the major sports under one roof and offer many vibrant interactive and educational experiences. Visitors will want to return many times.”

Gallagher & Associates also designed the USGA’s new Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History, now under construction in Far Hills , N.J. ; the Carolina Basketball Museum at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill; the U.S. Naval Academy’s Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Annapolis , Md. ; and the University of Tennessee ’s new Hall of Champions in Knoxville . The firm also designed the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in Norfolk , Va.

Gallagher & Associates is a professional design firm practicing internationally. The firm specializes in museum master planning and exhibition design, environmental graphics, brand development, and media programming and development.

Gallagher & Associates’ expertise includes a wide spectrum of visitor experiences such as public- and private-sector museums, visitor centers, hall of fame exhibits, science and learning centers, traveling exhibitions, and corporate experiences.

Major museum projects recently completed by Gallagher & Associates include the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum in Chicago , Ill. ; the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage near Cleveland , Ohio ; and the Maryland Museum of African American History and Culture in Baltimore , Md. Past projects have also included the International Spy Museum , the exhibit for The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, and the award-winning National Archives Experience exhibit, all in Washington , D.C.

Current projects include the new museum for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood, Cal.; the Jamestown Settlement Museum near Williamsburg, Va.; the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, Penn.; the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, Miss.; the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (Woodstock) in Bethel, N.Y; the Gettysburg National Military Park and Visitor Center; the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans, La.; the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, Va.; and the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, N.M.

The firm also designed the exhibits for the new Normandy American Cemetery Interpretive Center in Colleville-sur-Mer , France , for the American Battle Monuments Commission. The center was dedicated on June 6, 2007.