Home Destinations USA District of Columbia Washington, D.C. Sights Smithsonian Institution Building

Smithsonian Institution Building Review

Read our Washington, D.C. sights reviews. Or post your own.

• Overview
• Places to Explore
• Sights
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Travel Tips
• Features
• Fodor's Choice
• Deals
• Downloadable Guide
• Guidebooks

Fodor's Washington, D.C. 2010

Fodor's Washington D.C.'s 25 Best, 7th Edition

Fodor's Washington, D.C. with Kids, 4th Edition

Fodor's Around Washington, D.C. with Kids, 5th Edition

Fodor's Family Washington D.C. with Kids, 1st Edition

Fodor's Flashmaps Washington, D.C., 7th Edition

Smithsonian Institution Building

Fodor's Review:

The first Smithsonian museum constructed, this red sandstone, Norman-style building is better known as the Castle. It was designed by James Renwick, the architect of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Although British scientist and founder James Smithson had never visited America, his will stipulated that should his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, die without an heir, Smithson's entire fortune would go to the United States, "to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." The museums on the Mall are the Smithsonian's most visible example of this ideal, but the organization also sponsors traveling exhibitions and maintains research posts in outside-the-Beltway locales such as the Chesapeake Bay and the tropics of Panama.

Smithson died in 1829, Hungerford in 1835, and in 1838 the United States received gold sovereigns worth $515,169. After eight years of congressional debate over the propriety of accepting a foreign citizen's funds, the Smithsonian Institution was finally established on August 10, 1846. The Castle building was completed in 1855 and originally housed all of the Smithsonian's operations, including the science and art collections, research laboratories, and living quarters for the institution's secretary and his family. The statue in front of the Castle's entrance is not of Smithson but of Joseph Henry, the scientist who served as the institution's first secretary. Smithson's body was brought to America in 1904 and is entombed in a small room to the left of the Castle's Mall entrance.

Today the Castle houses Smithsonian administrative offices as well as the Smithsonian Information Center, which can help you get your bearings and decide which attractions to visit. A 24-minute video gives an overview of the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo, and monitors display information on the day's events. Interactive touch-screens provide more detailed information on the museums as well as other attractions in the capital. The center opens at 9 AM, an hour before the other museums, so you can plan your day without wasting sightseeing time. It also has a good café, offering one of the better options for lunch on the Mall.

Get Advice From Other Travelers

Visit the Travel Talk forums for help on planning your trip

• The Terra Cotta What?
  17 responses; most recent on 12/02/2009 at 11:29 AM
• Christmas Events 12/4-12/6?
  5 responses; most recent on 12/01/2009 at 09:38 AM
• DC Union Station Baggage Storage?
  6 responses; most recent on 11/30/2009 at 11:41 AM

Expert Advice on Taking Better Travel Photos

Get the Fodor's Newsletter

For more travel ideas, tips, and deals, sign up for the Fodor's newsletter here. Read the current issue. Browse previous issues.