and literally drove by it every day to/from work. I watched the transformation of that entire area before they built the current "Liberty Bell Center" that is just behind it, and even the "Independence Visitor's Center", just across the street. My agency actually had a recruiting event where that Center (that was opened in 2011) is now, and we did that back in the '80s.
Before they constructed that brick framework memorial to designate the President's House, they did a big archeological dig back in 2007 and what they found was so remarkable - including the presence of the basement "slave passages" and "slave quarters" - that this was what triggered the project to tell their stories.
What was even wilder is that as they were digging, there was so much tourist interest in the dig, that they ended up installing a "viewing stand" so that people could look down and watch what was being uncovered.
They mapped out the rooms as well -
They found a way to cover it over for the winters before the construction of the framework exhibit and would eventually include a portion of the excavation as part of that exhibit, that showed some of what had been discovered.
I do know that at the time of the opening, the-then NPS Regional Director (I think a leftover Shrub appointee) refused to allow the historical display that memorialized George Washington's 9 enslaved workers, and she was eventually pressured into having it installed.
So there is definitely a lot of drama around this whole thing. There were papers written about it too like this -
Redefining the "Cradle of Liberty": The President’s House Controversy in Independence National Historical Park
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