Creation Museum Lands Major Architectural Firm—A.M. Kinney!

The award-winning architectural firm of A.M. Kinney Associates will be the lead architect for the 95,000-square-foot Creation Museum and Family Discovery Center and headquarters complex for Answers in Genesis. AiG recently closed on its purchase of 47 acres in Northern Kentucky (just west of the Cincinnati Airport).

Based in Cincinnati, the firm of A.M. Kinney Associates, with 60 staff, has worked with a variety of major clients, including Procter and Gamble, Bristol-Myers, Coca-Cola, as well as overseas companies. It is expected that architects from other firms will also bring their expertise to AiG’s final architectural team.

As a way of expressing its strong support for the Creation Museum, A.M. Kinney Associates will be donating a significant portion of its services to AiG.

The architectural team

A.M. Kinney Associates has assigned its principal architect, George Nielsen, to lead the architectural team. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and listed in “Who’s Who in America,” Mr. Nielsen has been project manager for

• Sotheby’s auction-house renovations in New York City.
• Research labs for the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
• Renovations for the corporate headquarters of Cincinnati Gas and Electric.

A.M. Kinney Associates has assigned Robert Byrns to be the project manager for the design phase of the complex. A graduate of Cornell University, Mr. Byrns has managed projects for Procter and Gamble, and the revamping and expanding of a Xerox facility in Oklahoma City. He will be responsible to plan and oversee the process of designing the museum and headquarters, and to ensure quality work at best cost.

Ken Ham, executive director of Answers in Genesis, declared: “Having a firm of this size and prestige is a wonderful addition to our design and construction team. We are confident that as our lead architects, A.M. Kinney Associates will be designing a facility that will not only be visually stunning, but also welcoming to our visitors—and a wonderful setting for our growing staff.”

Other architects needed

Ham continued: “We trust that other architects will follow their example and join us in additional architectural aspects of the project. For example, we are also looking for architects who are experienced in landscaping and in designing the building’s interior.”

Ham concluded: “We are extremely grateful that A.M. Kinney Associates will be donating a significant portion of the firm’s services.”

Mr. Kinney remarked: “Our firm looks forward to designing a museum and headquarters complex that would blend well with the beautiful site. We at A.M. Kinney Associates are excited about this opportunity to work with AiG and feel that the result will be a first-class facility that all can enjoy.”

The museum plans

The museum (50,000 square feet) will provide visitors from around the globe with a “walk-through” history of the world starting from the Bible’s very first verse. Dinosaur models, dioramas, and other exciting exhibits (including interactive displays) will give families a dramatic visual tour of biblical history, showing that the Bible can be trusted from its very first verse.

The estimated cost of building the museum and headquarters will be $5–8 million. The figure could be well under $8 million by using the “gifts in kind” strategy, where construction and supply businesses offer their services/supplies at a substantially reduced cost (such as A.M. Kinney Associates) or even at no charge. For example, AiG is looking for general contractors, engineers, and other building professionals to consider this “gifts in kind” approach.

The grand opening is tentatively planned for the summer of 2002. Because the future museum is located within a day’s drive of about 165-million Americans, the impressive museum collections should make this a major tourist attraction in the eastern half of the United States.

View the ongoing sculpting of the museum’s 40-foot-long T-rex model.