Bruce Guthrie Photos: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building

DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building -- Notes:

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Description of Subject Matter: What is the Reynolds Center?

The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery—two museums that tell America's stories through art, history and biography—share a newly renovated National Historic Landmark building in downtown Washington D.C. The Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, named in honor of a generous gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, includes the two museums and their special-purpose facilities: the Lunder Conservation Center, the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium and the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard.

The above was from http://americanart.si.edu/reynolds_center/faq.cfm

Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard:

The Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, with its elegant glass canopy was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Foster + Partners, is a signature element of the renovated National Historic Landmark building that houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. The enclosed courtyard provides a distinctive, contemporary accent to the museums' Greek Revival building.

"The design was driven by a deep respect for the existing building," said Foster. "It was decided that it should not touch the building at any point-floating above it instead, like a cloud over a courtyard."

The roof, a steel structure with a glass and aluminum exterior, has a surface area of approximately 37,500 square feet. There are 864 panes of glass and no two are alike. Eight steel columns support the canopy, which weighs around 900 tons.

At 28,000 square feet, the courtyard is one of the largest public event spaces in Washington. The interior features a variety of plantings, including two 32-foot high ficus trees and 16 black olive trees which sit in white marble planters on a black granite floor. Foster + Partners worked closely with acclaimed landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson on the design of the interior which i ...More...
Various Signs:
History:
Construction, 1836-68:
The Patent Office Building was constructed wing by wing on two-city blocks over a 32-year period beginning in 1836. The spacious top floor halls were designed for the display of patent models in cases almost nine feet high. Architect Robert Mills, who also designed the Washington Monument, supervised the construction from 1836 to 1851. He was followed by architect Thomas U. Walter, designed of the dome of the United States Capitol.
[The South Wing on F Street was constructed in 1836-42. The East Wing on 7th Street was constructed in 1849-55. The West Wing on 9th Street was constructed 1849-57. The North Wing on G Street was constructed in 1856-68. The stone for the South Wing came from Virginia but the other wings, which are a lighter color, came from Maryland.]
When completed in 1868, the Patent Office was the largest office building in the United States, occupying 333,000 square feet and constructed at a cost of $2,347,000. By 1870, the third-floor galleries displayed 200,000 patent models and formed a continuous interlocking exhibition space one-quarter mile in circumference. As many as 100,000 visitors per year came to view the patent models and historic curiosities on display in the building.
From 1852 to 1917, the U.S. Department of Interior occupied much of the lower two floors of the building. The Patent Office moved out in 1932, and the U.S. Civil Service Commission took possession for the next 31 years, during which time the building suffered from alterations and lack of maintenance. After being saved from demolition for a parking garage, the structure was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution and was renovated for the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which opened in 1968.
The Patent Office Building in 1965 was designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest honor an historic structure can receive. In 1966, it was listed on the national Register ...More...
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Directly Related Pages: Other pages here that have content directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos]
- 2005_DC_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (1 photos from 2005)
- 2006_DC_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (73 photos from 2006)
- 2007_DC_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (incl Kogod courtyard) (67 photos from 2007)
- 2008_DC_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (58 photos from 2008)
- 2009_DC_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (65 photos from 2009)
- 2010_DC_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (89 photos from 2010)
- 2011_DC_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (21 photos from 2011)
- 2012_DC_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (28 photos from 2012)
- 2013_02_01B_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (1 photos from 02/01/2013)
- 2013_02_16A_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (5 photos from 02/16/2013)
- 2013_04_22G_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (1 photos from 04/22/2013)
- 2013_05_04ZG_SIPG_Bldg: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture -- Building (10 photos from 05/04/2013)
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Generally-Related Subject: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center for Amer Art & Portraiture
Generally-Related Subject Description: The country's original patent office building burned down in 1836. From 1839 to 1866, another was built. Designed by Robert Mills who also designed the Capitol and Treasury buildings, it was based in part on the design of the Parthenon with marble hallways and Doric columns. During the Civil War, it was used as both a troop barracks and a hospital; both Clara Barton and Walt Whitman nursed wounded soldiers here. Abraham Lincoln held his second inaugural ball in the main gallery in March 1865, one month before his assassination. When the building's construction was finished, it was the largest building in the country. The Patent Office moved to the Dept of Commerce building in 1932. The Civil Service Commission took over until they moved to their new headquarters in 1960. Saved from destruction by the Commission of Fine Arts, the building was turned over to the Smithsonian which established two galleries -- the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of American Art -- in the building.

The building closed in January 2000 for a $200 million renovation. It reopened on July 1, 2006. In the interim, it beefed up its virtual presence on the Web at http://www.npg.si.edu and had a number of exhibits have been touring the country. One of those is on American woman and "A Brush with History: Paintings from the National Portrait Gallery". In the spring of 2001, a generous $30 million donation from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation of Las Vegas, Nevada allowed it to purchase the "Lansdowne" portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart.

The building closed well before I purchased my first digital camera and once it reopened, I found myself taking lots and lots of pictures. For example, during the reopening day on July 1, 2006, I took over 3,500 pictures. To keep the numbers on each page smaller, I separated them out by theme, sometimes somewhat arbitrarily, so you'll see separate listings for:
-- America's Presidents (paintings, sculpture, etc ...More...
Generally-Related Subject Pages: Other pages here that have content somewhat related to this one:
- 2008_DC_FotoRC: FotoWeek DC -- Images in Donald Reynolds Center's Kogod Courtyard (24 photos from 2008)
- 2009_DC_SIPG_1934: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Special Exhibits -- 1934: A New Deal for Artists (154 photos from 2009)
- 2008_DC_SIPG_Scholars: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Special Exhibits -- 2008 Presidential Scholars in the Arts (5 photos from 2008)
- 2011_DC_SIPG_Scholars: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Special Exhibits -- 2011 Presidential Scholars in the Arts (4 photos from 2011)
- 2013_01_29H_SIPG_Day_Museum: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Special Exhibits -- A Day at the Museum (19 photos from 01/29/2013)
- 2012_DC_SIPG_Abstract: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Special Exhibits -- Abstract Drawings (18 photos from 2012)
- 2012_DC_Video_Games: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Special Exhibits -- Art of Video Games (111 photos from 2012)
- 2008_DC_SIPG_Bally: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Special Exhibits -- Ballyhoo! (35 photos from 2008)
- 2011_DC_SIPG_Big_Lives: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Special Exhibits -- Big Lives (46 photos from 2011)
- 2013_02_01H_SIPG_Bound: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Special Exhibits -- Bound For Freedom's Light (33 photos from 02/01/2013)
- ...More (114 total)...
Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [Museums (Art)]
2013 photos: So far, I'm mostly using my Fuji XS-1 camera but, depending on the event, I'm also using a Nikon D7000 and Nikon D600. Trips this year have been limited to a Civil War Trust conference in Memphis.
Photo Contact: Email Bruce Guthrie.