Smithsonian Institution Building

Title: Smithsonian Institution Building
Creator: James Renwick, Jr
Date: 1855 (Complete); 1865 (Damaged by fire)
Description: Popularly known as "the Castle," the Smithsonian Institution's original building opened in 1855 and was the first museum on the Mall. James Renwick Jr designed the building in a Gothic Revival style with red sandstone from Seneca Creek, Maryland. The Castle housed collections, laboratories, and the family of the first Secretary. By 1881, the Smithsonian's collections and staff outgrew the Castle and expanded to a second building next door. Today, the Smithsonian Visitors' Center and founder James Smithson's crypt can be found inside the Castle.
Coverage: 1830-1859
Location: 1000 Jefferson Dr SW, Washington, DC 20004
Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. View original.