WASHINGTON–One of the world's leading entertainment companies is close to reaching a deal to open a Madame Tussauds wax museum in the nation's capital, officials familiar with the talks confirmed.
London-based Tussauds Group has been negotiating with a developer for space in the old Woodward & Lothrop department store building downtown.
"They're very close to a deal," said Steve Moore, president and chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C. Economic Development Partnership, a nonprofit group that promotes economic development in the city.
A company spokeswoman in London acknowledged that Washington is one of the North American sites being considered for the company's international expansion.
The Washington Times first reported last month that Tussauds was in talks with the city.
The theme park and attractions operator currently operates wax museums in Amsterdam, London, Las Vegas and New York, where hundreds of wax figures are on display. Others are under development in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The museums feature life-size wax models of historic figures and contemporary celebrities such as Albert Einstein, Elvis Presley and Britney Spears. Guests are encouraged to pose for photographs with the figures. They can also sing or act out scenes with images of their favorite entertainers.
The D.C. wax museum site would be located near the National Spy Museum, the Smithsonian Institution's American Art Museum, Ford's Theater and the Verizon Center, which is home to the city's professional basketball and hockey teams.
Conservative estimates suggest the wax museum could draw about 35,000 visitors a month, but Moore and others suggest the success of the privately owned Spy Museum indicates attendance could be much higher.
In 2002, the Cleveland-based Malrite Company expected the Spy Museum to attract about 500,000 guests annually, but attendance has consistently topped 700,000.
"We have had 2.5 million visitors to date," said Amanda Abrell, a Spy Museum spokeswoman. The museum's adult admission is $15 per person. Tussauds charges between $22 and $31 at its U.S. locations.
Tussauds was founded in 1802 after Madame Tussaud brought to London a waxwork collection that she had inherited in Paris. After touring the country with the exhibition for 33 years, she set up a permanent museum in London.
