Opened in 2005 with funding from the foundation created by philanthropist Reginald F. Lewis, the museum highlights African American history and culture in Maryland and beyond. Reviewing the new museum for the Baltimore Sun, Edward Gunts praised “its use of architectural symbolism—through colors, forms, and materials—to create a building that avoids cliches but is undeniably African-American in spirit.” During planning, the possibility of reusing an existing building or designing something with overt African symbolism were both rejected in favor of a more abstract new design. Baltimore firm RTKL Associates, long-time leaders in local modernist design, and the Freelon Group of Durham, North Carolina, used the colors black, red, ivory, and gold, referencing both the Maryland flag and diversity of African heritage, to enliven the simple yet bold exterior volumes of the museum. Particularly prominent is the full-height angled red wall at the Pratt Street entrance atrium, intended to symbolize the abrupt change in status quo of Africans being forcibly taken to North America.