Jefferson Island is the tallest point in Louisiana. At one point it contained a coal mine.

This is a design for a museum that honors the context, history, and artifacts of the former coal mine. The site is at the top of the hill and at the edge of Lake Peigneur.

The building memorializes the coal mine shape by dipping under and over ground level.

To enter the museum, the observer passes over a deep drop via a metal bridge. The entrance hall is a loft that looks onto an open well-lit room and a back terrace. At the loft’s edge is a two-story staircase and an elevator. Two flights down is the library, which is a sort of dead end. The true exhibit experience lies only one flight down. This first stop leads to the exhibit — an underground mineshaft-like winding hallway with projections and artifacts embedded into the walls. The tunnel exits into the earlier seen spacious and well-lit room, which is in stark contrast to the narrow hallway. This is supposed to provide sensory relief. This room lets out onto the back patio, where there is a multi-tier cafe that provides the museum’s first glimpse of the lake.

The design of this museum creates an informative journey.