The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) has canceled plans to build an education center on the National Mall, ending a 17-year effort, the group's board of directors announced Friday.

The idea for the center was conceived by VVMF Founder Jan Scruggs in 2001 to lend context to the names of the fallen etched into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, according to a Task & Purpose article published days before the announcement. The center had been scheduled to open in 2020.

Originally estimated to cost $40 million, the project grew to a $130 million, 25,000-square-foot building. Planned for the National Mall, it was to be constructed underground, visible only from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

“We know many veterans and supporters are disappointed in this outcome,” VVMF Chairman John Dibble said in a statement included with news release announcing the decision. “We also are disappointed that the early enthusiasm and support did not result in a completed building. Since the idea was developed in early 2001, the world is a very different place.”

The nonprofit has raised $45 million of the $130 million needed, the release states: $23 million of that has been spent on initial project planning and awareness. Another $17 million in donations earmarked specifically for “hard construction” may be returned to donors after discussions.

VVMF plans to reallocate the remaining funds between current education programs, The Wall That Heals mobile exhibit, and maintaining the memorial. Dibble is hopeful subsequent projects connected to the Education Center, such as the virtual Wall of Faces, will still be used to teach people about the Vietnam War.

“Through recent partnership discussions with military museums, we are encouraged that our photos, artifacts, and information eventually will have physical homes within their exhibits,” Dibble said. “We have a lot to show for our efforts already, and as we look to the future, we will add to these resources.”

Katie Lathrop is the Digital Content Specialist at MOAA and the daughter of a currently serving Army Officer. Follow her on twitter @Katie.F.Lathrop.