The Museum of American Finance opens its doors in Boston
Rendering of the Museum of American Finance’s new home on Commonwealth Pier in the
Boston Seaport.
Courtesy: Museum of American Finance
Nearly a decade after leaving its former home, the Museum of American Finance is welcoming the public to its new headquarters – and just in time for the country’s 250th anniversary.
The 5,400-square-foot museum located on Commonwealth Pier in Boston is the Smithsonian Institution affiliate’s first permanent home since it terminated its lease at 48 Wall Street in New York in 2018 because of a flood.
After signing a new lease only 16 months ago, the museum was able to debut seven inaugural exhibits. One, developed in partnership with the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology, uses artificial intelligence to create an interactive Alexander Hamilton.
“We’re bringing him back to life,” Erich Umar, head of technology strategy & planning at FCAT, said during a press conference at the museum earlier this week ahead of its opening. “History doesn’t just live in the past; it interacts with the future.”
Visitors are able to talk with the first U.S. secretary of the treasury in more than 50 languages and even pose unique questions to him, such as asking him to elaborate on compound interest using a soccer analogy.
The “Alexander Hamilton Experience” exhibit includes a multilingual AI-generated Alexander Hamilton.
Sean Conlon | CNBC
“Advances in technology are providing opportunities that we could only have imagined just a few short years ago,” Umar told CNBC. “It’s enabling us to scale financial education and reach more Americans where they are, regardless of geography, language or their preferred modality of learning.”
Starting off in ‘familiar’ territory
As visitors enter the museum, the first topic they will explore will seem commonplace: money.
The interactive exhibit, “America in Circulation,” displays several examples of the nation’s currencies from oldest to modern day, showcasing how they have evolved over centuries.
“We wanted the currency gallery to be the first exhibit visitors explore because everyone is familiar with money,” said Kristin Aguilera, the museum’s deputy director. “So, we start with a topic that is very accessible to everyone.”
“America in Circulation” is an interactive currency exhibit, featuring examples of American paper money.
Sean Conlon | CNBC
The earliest currencies on display are pine tree shillings from 1652, while the earliest paper currency in the exhibit dates back to the 18th century. Even with such a wide range on view, visitors can use touchscreens to dive deeper. With a few taps, they can zoom in to view the intricate details and symbolism of a specific example.
“A lot of this paper money was due to major events in our history like the Revolutionary War,” said Rahul Arora, a financial historian and guest curator of the exhibit. “Some of these notes wouldn’t exist.”
Arora said he hopes the exhibit will lead others to truly appreciate currency, especially from an artistic perspective….
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