BOSTON (AP) — The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate is set to open early next year.

Kennedy widow and institute co-founder Victoria Reggie Kennedy says it will host an opening celebration March 29 with a formal public dedication ceremony the next day.

The institute is being built on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Boston next to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The centerpiece is a full-scale representation of the U.S. Senate Chamber.

Victoria Kennedy says the replica of the chamber will give visitors a better sense of the work of the Senate by giving them the experience of debating, negotiating and voting on legislation.

Ted Kennedy died in 2009 from brain cancer after serving 47 years in the Senate.

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