WASHINGTON — The morning news cycle around the nation’s capitol opened with a startling announcement today from the newly opened and much celebrated National Museum of African American History and Culture. At some point after closing time last night, the 350,000 square foot building was misplaced and has yet to be found.

Lonnie Bunch III, director of the museum, was spotted rummaging frantically around the National Mall in search of the Smithsonian Institution’s newest branch.

“I just don’t believe this! This is just the kind of thing that would happen!” a slightly hysterical Bunch was heard to mutter to himself as he scoured through a thicket on his hands and knees for the museum, which had been open for less than one month prior to this unfortunate incident.

Appearing shortly thereafter a press conference called by the museum’s board, Bunch was visibly flustered and in a general state of bewildered agitation as he addressed a crowd of reporters assembled for an impromptu press conference.

“I have no idea where [the museum] could have gone, I left it just where I always do when I locked up last night,” Bunch explained in a quavering voice to the assembled mass of newspeople.

Citing the bipartisan cooperation which led ultimately led to museum’s establishment, Bunch went on to urge people from all walks of life to come together to help find the missing structure, which residents and tourists watched rise from the Earth over the course of its two year construction.

Following the press conference the exasperated director announced that he would just run home real quick to see if maybe he had left the museum and its irreplaceable collection of 33,000 personal and historical objects on the kitchen table.