Its facade is unlike anything else in Washington.

The Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture building’s outward design — known as the Corona — features walls reaching skyward, evoking the resiliency, faith and hope that has sustained black Americans since they were brought to the country in bondage.

Its three-tiered shape is inspired by a symbol from the Yoruba people of West Africa featuring a crown. The 3,600 bronze-colored panels surrounding the building are a tribute to the 19th-century ironwork created by slaves in New Orleans.

“The structure itself is imbued with meaning,” said Phil Freelon, the lead architect for the museum. “All these things are subtle. That’s intentional. It has a certain sense to it that is African-American, in the way that our culture is expressive in other areas. We believe architecture can evoke those sorts of emotions.”

Washingtonians have watched the building rise from nothing on a grassy knoll at the bustling intersection of Constitution Avenue and 15th Street. Construction on the museum began in 2012, the same year Obama was re-elected to a second term. It will open four months before he is set to leave office.

Standing five stories high with 60 percent of the building below ground, the 400,000-square foot structure attempts to hold four centuries of black history.

Visitors begin by descending to the basement and then walk up a series of ramps winding through the origins of slavery, to the bonds of Jim Crow, to an integrated society. Exhibits on the upper floors highlight the unique contributions of blacks to areas of American life, including the military, sports, music, the visual arts, film and television, business, the news media and religion.