James Renwick Jr. designed the Smithsonian Institution Building, assisted by Robert Mills on the internal layout, with accrued interest on the Smithson bequest paying for it. The infobox gives 1849 to 1855, while the text says work began in 1847, the East Wing was finished in 1849, the exterior in 1852 and the interior in 1855. The lead calls it Norman Revival, and the body Gothic Revival with Romanesque motifs.
It is Seneca red sandstone from Maryland. The south principal tower is 91 feet (28 m) high, the north tower 145 feet (44 m) and the campanile 117 feet (36 m). The plan has a central Great Hall and four occupiable towers, and a crypt holds James Smithson's tomb.
An 1865 fire damaged the upper floor, and Adolf Cluss renovated it from 1865 to 1867. It houses administrative offices and a visitor center, and closed in February 2023 for a planned five-year renovation.
Comments