oming off the escalator at the third level of the building, the visitor will enter a public concourse that runs the full length of the building.

Boston/World/Boston, a 20-minute feature film presentation, sweeps over the city and the world, picking up unique bits of local lore, linking lives to communities overseas. From a Boston architect designing a Hong Kong skyscraper to a Boston clipper ship rounding Cape Horn, from a County Cork man saving up to join his sweetheart in Southie, to a Red Sox team member building a new school in his Dominican village - the contributions and creative ingenuity of Bostonians are everywhere, drawing global energy back to the "home of the bean and the cod."

Recognizing that many Boston visitors are particularly interested in the American Revolution, a special short immersion experience give this audience a narrative overview of the Revolution and its Boston origins, helping to frame the visitor experience along the Freedom Trail, at Dorchester Heights or in Lexington and Concord.

Place over Time: Look down on the animation of the glacier that formed Massachusetts Bay. Hear the boom of the ice cracking. Watch the swamps of Back Bay form. Gradually the modern city emerges. Visitors witness the creation of the transportation system, the overlay of parks, the fire of 1872, the land making, the annexation of cities and towns, the "experiment" of urban renewal.

Conscience and Confrontation: Boston's history of explosive, often groundbreaking social conflicts shaped the course of America's political and economic history. In this gallery, visitors will witness the 1855 seizure of fugitive slave Anthony Burns, stand in the picket line during the police strike of 1919 that propelled Calvin Coolidge to the White House, join protesters at the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, and take part in the debates over school desegregation and gay marriage.

Innovation: From the American Revolution to the revolution in biotech, the creativity of Boston's citizens has allowed the city to reinvent itself over and over again. The Innovation Gallery will present case studies in thinking though problems; narratives of the adventure of discovery; simulation games and models. Visitors will discover how cell phones, microwaves, mutual funds and much more were the products of Boston ingenuity.

The Sports Gallery: Boston is the most passionate sports town in the nation - and there's never been a better time to build on the city's love affair with its sports franchises. This large dedicated gallery will showcase Boston's pivotal role in the development of professional sports. Interactive exhibits will allow young fans to throw a virtual pitch to David Ortiz, take part in a simulated marathon race up Heartbreak Hill, and discover the Revolutionary-era underpinnings of "The Greatest Rivalry" between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

The Boston Museum will also include: The Futures Lab (futuristic visions of the city, projections of current trends and statistics), a National Traveling Exhibit Gallery (a much-needed venue for traveling exhibitions), and the Dialogue and Learning Center, (a conference facility.)

40,000 square feet of total exhibit space is planned.