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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Days after the Tall Ship Providence Foundation announced it is suspending operations amid mounting losses and debt, a connected nonprofit has gone public with plans for a national maritime museum on Alexandria's waterfront — and says it is assessing whether to acquire the historic vessel as part of the project.
The Providence, which calls Alexandria's waterfront home, has operated since 2017 as a floating exhibit dedicated to educating students and visitors about the Continental Navy's role in the American Revolution. Recognized for three consecutive years as a top tourist destination by Travelers' Choice for its Living History Tours, the ship has also served thousands of local students through a Field Trip Program that provided free educational experiences for Title I schools. Its educational and tour programs are set to suspend June 26.
The United States Maritime Foundation is under contract to acquire a site at 1 Prince St., adjacent to Waterfront Park, for a planned museum of approximately 50,000 square feet, according to the Washington Business Journal. The nonprofit, formed last June, is aiming to raise between $30 million and $50 million for the project, which could involve demolishing and redeveloping the existing 1980s-era building on the site, pending city approval.
The site carries its own complications. After the National Park Service reversed course in February and blocked the city's planned flood pump station in Waterfront Park, citing a 1981 settlement agreement restricting the park's uses, the city presented council with four alternative paths forward. One of them — relocating the pump station to 1 Prince St. — remained technically viable but carried an additional cost of $100 million to $130 million beyond current funding, which council described as unrealistic. In March, council signaled support for a scaled-back gravity-based system that would defer the pump station question, with staff expected to return with a formal scope decision this month. It is unclear how the maritime foundation's contract to acquire 1 Prince St. affects those deliberations.
The Providence foundation's press release described a potential "accelerated merger with the United States Maritime Museum proposed for Alexandria's waterfront" — using a slightly different name than the organization uses publicly. The two groups share more than a mission. As The Alexandria Brief reported Monday, Kathy Seifert — the Providence foundation's executive director — was listed as vice president of the United States Maritime Foundation when that story published. The museum group removed her from its leadership page after publication. Both organizations list the same North Union Street suite as their address.
Smith also serves as CEO of the Common Sense Society and is a past chair of the National Civic Art Society's board. The foundation's leadership includes retired Vice Adm. Tom Church as chairman and John Camp as vice chairman. Church, a 37-year Navy veteran, now leads the Church Group consulting firm; Camp has more than 35 years in private equity and serves as managing director at Arbor Investments. Church shares a name with the Tom Church listed as treasurer on the Providence foundation's most recent IRS filing.
Read the full Washington Business Journal story here.
The Alexandria Brief has reached out to the United States Maritime Foundation and the City of Alexandria for comment.
Ryan Belmore
Ryan Belmore
