"The United States National Museum (Now the Arts And Industries Building)"
Washington, DC - April 1999 (Click to embiggen)
Hosted by Written Inc.High on the list of "educational destinations" -- especially among parents of school-aged children -- is The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. Its beginnings are something of an enigma, since the trust that established it was bequeathed to the US by British born James Smithson who, by all reports, had no ties to the United States of any kind. In magnificently typical Washington fashion, it took seven years to decide whether or not to even accept the bequest, and another eight before ground would be broken for it.This photo is of a later addition to the original "Castle". After the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, many of its exhibits were donated to the Smithsonian, and an entirely new building was commissioned to house them. The building bore the name United States National Museum from its opening in 1881 until 1910 when larger exhibits began to move out into their own spaces. At that time, the building was renamed the Arts & Industries Building. From 1974 to 1976 the building was closed for renovation, then reopened with the exhibit: "1876: A Centennial Exhibition" featuring many of the same exhibits housed in the building originally.What goes around comes around, yeah?
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2 comments:
I will have to make it a winter trip.
You've strengthened my resolve to finally get off my duff and go there. It's been on my radar forever. Time to make it real.
I suspect I may never return, though :)
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