Firm to help National Health Museum choose site

The National Health Museum has picked the real estate firm Carter to be its adviser as it tries to nail down a site for the $250 million attraction.

“Securing a prime location in downtown Atlanta from which to pursue our mission is a crucial objective for NHM,” said J. Mark Dunham, museum president.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with Carter, a firm with tremendous expertise and pride in the Atlanta community.”

The museum is considering sites around Centennial Olympic Park, within walking distance of the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, Imagine It children’s museum, CNN and the future Center for Civil & Human Rights.

Dunham has said the building needs a little over 1 acre and could be up to four stories high.

“Carter is proud to have been selected as the real estate adviser,” said Scott Taylor , president of the 50-year-old Atlanta-based company. “The museum will … help to further the city’s reputation as an epicenter of health care and the life sciences.”

The goal of the museum is to provide Americans with the knowledge to lead healthier lives. Plans include operating a cybermuseum available to computer users worldwide.

In June, the museum and the state announced Atlanta had been chosen to be the museum’s home. Its offices will be relocated to Atlanta from Washington.

The museum is expected to draw more than 1 million visitors a year and its economic impact over the first five years of operation is projected to be $800 million.

Carter’s other projects include managing the development of Lindbergh City Center and the renovation and expansion of Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.