Rev. Kusi Boateng’s claim about cost of American Bible Museum false

The Executive Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, has said the Museum of the Bible in the United States of America was built with $600 million.

He made the claim on Thursday, March 7, 2024, after he was asked in an interview on Onua FM the amount of money needed to complete the National Cathedral project.

The Reverend said the project can be completed with $200 to $250 million. He compared the amount the United States spent on the Museum of the Bible in Washington with Ghana’s National Cathedral.

“If we get between $200 to $250 million, we will be able to complete the cathedral. The Washington museum cost them $600 million. Our museum, which we have named the Bible Museum of Africa; in terms of space, in terms of content, in terms of technology, we are higher than the American Bible Museum that took $600 million to build. But our whole cathedral project will cost us around 300 and something million dollars. Someone’s museum, which ours is bigger than was $600 million,” he said.

Fact-Check Ghana has verified his claim and presents the details below.

Verdict: False

Claim: “The Washington [Museum of the Bible] museum cost them $600 million.”

Explanation

On July 30, 2012, the US announced the purchase of the Washington Design Centre for the construction of the Museum of the Bible. About three years later, on February 12, 2015, construction of the Museum began with the demolition of some parts of the historic Washington Design Centre. After the completion of the interior and exhibit installations, the Museum of the Bible was opened to the public in November 2017.

According to the website of the Museum of the Bible, the project cost $500 million.

“In early 2015, more than 550 engineers, architects and other construction experts began the restoration, adaptation and enhancement of a former refrigeration warehouse. Originally built in 1922, this warehouse would eventually become the 430,000-square-foot Museum of the Bible. After gaining designation as a historical landmark, the museum’s first step in the construction of the $500-million project (estimated cost of real estate, demolition and new construction) was the surgical removal of a 1982 addition to the historical building, followed by the challenging removal of the roof and every other floor of the warehouse to expand the floor-to-ceiling heights required for modern museum exhibits.”

The $500 million cost of the American Museum of the Bible is confirmed by many other independent international media outlets (See here and here).

From the above, it is clear that the Museum of the Bible in the United States did not cost $600 million. Therefore, the claim by the Executive Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, is false.