The Archaearium

The Archaearium is an archaeological museum of early Jamestown history whose exhibits explore both the James Fort excavations and the Statehouse site beneath it, the first building built specifically for government in English North America. The site was chosen for its proximity to James Fort and its views toward the fort, which enhance understanding of the links between the site and its artifacts, while also allowing some of the Statehouse archaeology to be interpreted directly under visitors’ feet. The building was designed as a technically advanced structure in a clean zone, with archaeological investigations ensuring that its pile foundations do not bear on historic resources, and with special piles and structural cantilevers that make it appear to hover lightly over a small base. Its copper cladding is intended to weather over time in harmony with the landscape and to reflect the importance of copper to Virginia Indian society and to the English colonists, who traded it for food. It also incorporates many green building technologies, including geothermal heating and cooling, low water consumption, and maximized use of daylight.

Virginia · United States