Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream
The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD) is one of the latest museum additions in Washington D.C. It is dedicated to educating visitors through interactive exhibits and experiences. Two National Register-listed former bank buildings across from the White House and U.S. Treasury were restored to house this new museum: The American Security & Trust Company building and the Riggs National Bank, also known as “The Bank of Presidents,” as nearly half of all U.S. Presidents banked with Riggs.
The Riggs National Bank, a Neo-Classical Revival structure, was designed by the New York architecture firm York & Sawyer and constructed between 1899 and 1904. The building was added to the national register as part of the Lafayette Historic District in 1970 and as an individual building in 1973. Select areas of the building interiors were retained, salvaged, and transformed into into multifunctional spaces, featuring exhibit spaces in their grand interior banking halls, an auditorium, a banquet hall, and offices for the Milken Foundation.
We are honored to have participate in this monumental project which preserved the historical integrity of the building while upgrading it to meet modern usage demands. Our work won the 2026 Craftsmanship Award from the Washington Building Congress for Finishes in the Painting and Wallcovering category.
