BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle) -- Exhibit: History of Castle

DC -- Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle) -- Exhibit: History of Castle:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SICASH_150412_002.JPG: The Rush Porcelain, ca 1847-1849
2. SICASH_150412_021.JPG: Photograph, South Facade of the Smithsonian Institution Building ca 1858 Unknown photographer This view of the Smithsonian Building taken from B Street, SW (now Independence Avenue) highlights eight of the nine towers that give the building its distinctive silhouette. Its mismatched towers and complex asymmetrical layout contribute to the building's iconic architectural status. While the north front features two centrally located tall towers, the south side is dominated by a massive square battlemented tower.
3. SICASH_150412_024.JPG: West Range * 1850-1881 The West Range and West Wing of the Smithsonian Castle: The western end of the Smithsonian's first building, commonly referred to as "The Castle," is divided into two cavernous halls. The West Range, now named "Schermer Hall," connects the main central section of the building with the West Wing or the "Commons." Although the original plans called for the two grand halls to house the art collections, when completed in 1850, the West Wing was instead used for the library while the West Range became a reading room. Both halls were designed in a neo-gothic style of architecture which was meant to evoke the scholarly atmosphere of an English university with their high vaulted ceilings, ample windows, and walls scored and painted to mimic the exterior stonework. The functions of both halls have changed many times over the years, reflecting changes within the Smithsonian.
4. SICASH_150412_028.JPG: West Range * 1882-1954
5. SICASH_150412_035.JPG: West Wing * 1850-1878
6. SICASH_150412_040.JPG: West Wing * 1879-1920
7. SICASH_150412_046.JPG: West Wing * 1921-present
8. SICASH_150412_057.JPG: Graphic Arts exhibits in the West Wing, c 1925. Presiding over the West Wing and the graphic arts exhibits was the monumental statue of George Washington created by the famous American sculptor Horatio Greenough in 1841. The huge statue remained in the hall until 1962 when it was moved across the Mall to the Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History, Behring Center), then still under construction
9. SICASH_150412_058.JPG: The Children's Room: Believing that "knowledge begins in wonder," Smithsonian Secretary Samuel P. Langley in 1899 commissioned this room as a display area for children. The Children's Room was designed by the architectural firm of Hornblower & Marshall and decorated by interior designer Grace Lincoln Temple to appeal to young visitors. Children enjoyed the room for more than 40 years, until a shortage of storage space forced its closing. In 1985, conservators uncovered the room's original ceiling mural, which has since been fully restored, along with the most prominent features of the original Children's Room.
10. SICASH_150412_061.JPG: Castle Model 1846 One of the earliest examples of an American architectural model to exist, this wood and paper model was presented to the Smithsonian's building committee by architect James Renwick Jr. of New York with his proposal for the building in 1846. Renwick included a matching north tower, offering the option of symetrically balanced north towers.
11. SICASH_150412_070.JPG: View of the Great Hall of the Smithsonian Institution Building, about 1865.
12. SICASH_150412_074.JPG: The Smithsonian Institution Building: The building in which you are standing is the original Smithsonian Institution Building. "The Castle," as it is familiarly known, was built in 1847-1855 to accommodate collections, exhibitions, public lectures, and offices and housing for scholarly staff. Showing features of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, the red sandstone "Castle" was the work of rising New York architect James Renwick. Today the Castle houses the Smithsonian Information Center, the Institution's administrative offices, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "Tower and battlement, and all that medieval confusion, stamped itself on the halls of Congress, as ink on paper! Dark on that whiteness -- complication on that simplicity! ..." -- Horatio Greenough, American sculptor, on visiting the Smithsonian Institution, 1851 The "Castle" radically altered the mid-19th-century Washington, DC skyline.
13. SICASH_150412_080.JPG: Model of The Castle Sidney Mobell, 2004 The Smithsonian Building's picturesque qualities and status as historic landmark have long inspired artists to interpret the building in various media such as this gem-studded model by jewelry designer, Sidney Mobell. The model was crafted with 18K yellow gold and platinum encrusted with 450 emeralds, one ruby, five blue saphires, and ten diamonds.
14. SICASH_150412_085.JPG: James Renwick, Jr. 1818-1895, architect of the Smithsonian Institution Building. Renwick's design was selected from among a number of proposals by well-known architects.
15. SICASH_150821_001.JPG: Castle Model 1846 One of the earliest examples of an American architectural model to exist, this wood and paper model was presented to the Smithsonian's building committee by architect James Renwick Jr. of New York with his proposal for the building in 1846. Renwick included a matching north tower, offering the option of symetrically balanced north towers.
16. SICASH_150821_007.JPG: The Smithsonian Institution Building: The building in which you are standing is the original Smithsonian Institution Building. "The Castle," as it is familiarly known, was built in 1847-1855 to accommodate collections, exhibitions, public lectures, and offices and housing for scholarly staff. Showing features of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, the red sandstone "Castle" was the work of rising New York architect James Renwick. Today the Castle houses the Smithsonian Information Center, the Institution's administrative offices, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "Tower and battlement, and all that medieval confusion, stamped itself on the halls of Congress, as ink on paper! Dark on that whiteness -- complication on that simplicity! ..." -- Horatio Greenough, American sculptor, on visiting the Smithsonian Institution, 1851 The "Castle" radically altered the mid-19th-century Washington, DC skyline.
17. SICASH_150821_012.JPG: View of the Great Hall of the Smithsonian Institution Building, about 1865.
18. SICASH_150821_016.JPG: James Renwick, Jr. 1818-1895, architect of the Smithsonian Institution Building. Renwick's design was selected from among a number of proposals by well-known architects.
19. SICASH_150821_024.JPG: Model of The Castle Sidney Mobell, 2004 The Smithsonian Building's picturesque qualities and status as historic landmark have long inspired artists to interpret the building in various media such as this gem-studded model by jewelry designer, Sidney Mobell. The model was crafted with 18K yellow gold and platinum encrusted with 450 emeralds, one ruby, five blue saphires, and ten diamonds.
20. SICASH_150821_030.JPG: West Wing * 1921-present
21. SICASH_150821_035.JPG: Graphic Arts exhibits in the West Wing, c 1925. Presiding over the West Wing and the graphic arts exhibits was the monumental statue of George Washington created by the famous American sculptor Horatio Greenough in 1841. The huge statue remained in the hall until 1962 when it was moved across the Mall to the Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History, Behring Center), then still under construction
22. SICASH_150821_038.JPG: Newly renovated Graphic Arts exhibition in the West Wing, c. 1960. As part of the 1955 Institute-wide program to update all exhibitions, the West Wing underwent a major renovation. For the first time in its history, artificial lighting illuminated the hall. The exhibit cases lining the walls that had been installed in 1871 were modified and painted light grey as were the walls.
23. SICASH_150821_042.JPG: The Commons in the West Wing, photographed by Richard Strauss, 1992. The West Wing's use as an exhibition hall ended in 1964. After extensive renovations, the hall reopened in the 1970 as a dining room named the "Commons," a term suggesting the traditional dining rooms in historic English colleges. The 1871 exhibit cases were stripped of their 1956 cool grey paint and the room was decorated in warm tones of beige, gold, ad terra cotta. the groin-vaulted ceiling was painted deep blue with a scattering of gold leaf stars.
24. SICASH_150821_048.JPG: The Commons looking south, 2005. The Commons dining room closed in 2003, and plans began for the future use of the hall as a venue for special events and conferences. Collection objects from a sampling of the Smithsonian's museums are installed in and on top of the 1871 walnut exhibit cases. The skylight, which had been covered in the mid-20th century, has been reopened, and additional lighting installed to accentuate the architectural details of the room. The hall opened to the public in spring 2005.
25. SICASH_150821_052.JPG: West Wing * 1879-1920
26. SICASH_150821_056.JPG: Marine invertebrates displayed in the West Wing, c 1901. The West Wing reopened to the public in early 1893 with a refurbished exhibition of marine invertebrates. Hugh plaster casts of an octopus and giant squid, created for the Tennessee Exposition of 1897 and suspended from the ceiling of the West Wing, added a dramatic focal point to the installation.
27. SICASH_150821_061.JPG: Restoration of the Star Spangled Banner in the West Wing, 1914. In 1914, a temporary workroom was set up for the restoration of the Star Spangled Banner, the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, during the War of 1812. In order to preserve the flag, a team of seamstresses secured the tattered flag to a backing of unbleached Irish linen. The flag is now the centerpiece of the exhibitions in the National Museum of American History, Behring Center.
28. SICASH_150821_070.JPG: America in the West Wing, c 1879. After the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, many foreign exhibitors donated ceramic arts objects to the Smithsonian, which were put on view in the West Wing in 1879. Central to the display was a full-size terra-cotta reproduction of America, part of the Albert Memorial in London's Hyde Park.
29. SICASH_150821_074.JPG: West Wing * 1850-1878
30. SICASH_150821_078.JPG: The library in the West Wing, 1853. This woodblock print depicts the first use of the newly constructed West Wing as the Smithsonian's library. The skylight and the tall west facing windows provided ample natural light for reading and viewing artwork. The portraits of American Indians by John Mix Stanley were hung salon style about the room.
31. SICASH_150821_080.JPG: The library in the West Wing, 1857. A second tier of bookcases with a balcony was added in 1857, more than doubling the amount of space available. Busts of prominent men of letters and science, such as Thomas Jefferson, Daniel Webster, John Milton, and Robert Fulton, were arranged on top of the new cases.
32. SICASH_150821_087.JPG: Mineralogical specimens on display in the West Wing, c 1872. New walnut and glass exhibit cases were filled with mineralogical specimens when the hall reopened to the public. The giant meteorite displayed in the middle of the room was found near Tuscon, Arizona, and given to the Smithsonian in 1863. It is still on view in the Winston Gallery of the Geology, Gems, and Minerals Hall in the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum.
33. SICASH_150821_096.JPG: Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences in the West Wing, April 18, 1871. After a devastating fire destroyed a large section of the building in 1865, the West Wing was closed and used only for storage. In 1871, the floor of the hall was raised 18 inches to provide space in the basement below for a laboratory, and the room was redecorated. The first event to be held in the newly renovated space was this meeting of the National Academy of Sciences.
34. SICASH_150821_098.JPG: West Range * 1955-present
35. SICASH_150821_101.JPG: Associate's Reception Lounge in the West Range, photography by Richard Strauss, 1992. In anticipation of the huge crowds expected during the yearlong 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, the West Range became a lounge for members of the Smithsonian National Associates. The grand space was later partitioned to provide more privacy for the members, and antique desks, sofas, and chairs were provided for their use.
36. SICASH_150821_104.JPG: Schermer Hall looking east, 2005. In 1999, the partitions were removed from the newly re-named "Schermer Hall, the Smithsonian National Board Room," and the room was reopened to the general public, providing additional space for special events and temporary exhibits. A painting scheme based on the 1888 Cluss & Schulze color palette was carried out in late 2004.
37. SICASH_150821_107.JPG: The West Range looking east, 1972. Major renovations of the building's interior spaces in 1968 resulted in completely different uses for the public areas of the building. For the first time in over 100 years, there were no major museum collections on display in the West Range. In 1970, the hall became an extension of a newly created dining room in the West Wing.
38. SICASH_150821_112.JPG: Newly renovated Graphic Arts exhibition in the West Range, July 1958. The Institution began modernizing its exhibits in 1955. Sleek new metal, glass, and wooden cases and wall panels replaced the cluttered graphic arts exhibits. Prints by artists Durer, Rembrandt, Delacroix, and Matisse illustrated the techniques of etching, engraving, lithography, and silk-screening.
39. SICASH_150821_117.JPG: West Range * 1882-1954
40. SICASH_150821_122.JPG: The West Range decorated, c 1882. In 1882, the West Range was repainted and decorated with stenciling above the arches. Ceramic tiles were mounted in the three niches above the door leading to the West Wing. The hall showcased the Smithsonian's extensive collection of fishes in long narrow cases in the arcades.
41. SICASH_150821_127.JPG: Proposed decorative scheme for the West Range, May 1888. Architects Adolf Cluss and Paul Schulze proposed a complementary decorative scheme for the newly rebuilt West Range. The arches and columns were to be scored and painted to resemble grey stone; the capitals gilded. The walls were to have a maroon wainscoting up to the level of the windows and extensive decorative stenciling above in shades in green-grey. The plan was not adopted at the time.
42. SICASH_150821_131.JPG: Graphic Arts exhibits in the West Range, c 1950. In 1940, the West Range was transformed to accommodate the ever-growing collections of the Division of Graphics Arts. Almost every available square foot of floor space in the hall was occupied with cases filled with examples of the many techniques of the printing arts.
43. SICASH_150821_139.JPG: The West Range looking east, c. 1902. Although a sign hanging from the ceiling announced the West Range as the insect hall, a plaster fish cast mounted above the door remained from the room's previous use. The insect collection numbered a million and a half specimens, but only about 2,700 of the most unusual ones were displayed.
44. SICASH_150821_141.JPG: Blueprint of the West Range fireproofing plan, March 1887. Over the decades following the 1865 fire, the building underwent a series of extensive interior renovations. In the 1887 fireproofing, the neo-gothic columns and groin-vaulted ceiling were replaced with brick and plaster columns and a simple barrel-vaulted ceiling.
45. SICASH_150821_143.JPG: West Range * 1850-1881
46. SICASH_150821_147.JPG: The West Range and West Wing of the Smithsonian Castle: The western end of the Smithsonian's first building, commonly referred to as "The Castle," is divided into two cavernous halls. The West Range, now named "Schermer Hall," connects the main central section of the building with the West Wing or the "Commons." Although the original plans called for the two grand halls to house the art collections, when completed in 1850, the West Wing was instead used for the library while the West Range became a reading room. Both halls were designed in a neo-gothic style of architecture which was meant to evoke the scholarly atmosphere of an English university with their high vaulted ceilings, ample windows, and walls scored and painted to mimic the exterior stonework. The functions of both halls have changed many times over the years, reflecting changes within the Smithsonian.
47. SICASH_150821_154.JPG: South -- Sculpture on the south (top photo) and north (above) sides of the West Range, c 1865. After a disastrous fire in the central section of the building in 1865, the Smithsonian's library was permanently transferred to the Library of Congress for safekeeping. The former reading room then became the gallery of art -- a use that reflected its earliest plan. These two photographs show busts and oil portraits of famous men along with copies of Classical sculpture. A dog, whether alive at the time or a taxidermist's specimen, inexplicably stands guard over the artworks.
48. SICASH_150821_156.JPG: North -- Sculpture on the south (top photo) and north (above) sides of the West Range, c 1865. After a disastrous fire in the central section of the building in 1865, the Smithsonian's library was permanently transferred to the Library of Congress for safekeeping. The former reading room then became the gallery of art -- a use that reflected its earliest plan. These two photographs show busts and oil portraits of famous men along with copies of Classical sculpture. A dog, whether alive at the time or a taxidermist's specimen, inexplicably stands guard over the artworks.
49. SICASH_150821_164.JPG: The West Range looking west, c 1871. By 1868, the West Range had been furnished with cases to hold North American Indian artifacts. Portraits by artist Antonio Zeno Shindler depicting American Indian delegates who had visited Washington between 1858 and 1869 were hung from the columns of the north arcade.
50. SICASH_150821_165.JPG: "The Reading Room in the West Range," from a woodcut print from "An Account of the Smithsonian Institution..." by William J. Rhees, c 1856. The West Range was first used as the reading room for the Smithsonian's library, which was located in the adjoining West Wing. The groin-vaulted ceiling and the slender clustered neo-gothic columns emphasized the lofty feeling of the room.
51. SICASH_150821_169.JPG: Photograph, South Facade of the Smithsonian Institution Building ca 1858 Unknown photographer This view of the Smithsonian Building taken from B Street, SW (now Independence Avenue) highlights eight of the nine towers that give the building its distinctive silhouette. Its mismatched towers and complex asymmetrical layout contribute to the building's iconic architectural status. While the north front features two centrally located tall towers, the south side is dominated by a massive square battlemented tower.
52. SICASH_150821_177.JPG: Photograph, North Facade of the Smithsonian Institution Building ca 1857 Unknown photographer At the time of its completion in 1855, the Castle as it is now known was the only building on the National Mall. It was built in a medieval revival style that combined elements of Gothic, Romanesque, and Lombard and was constructed of dark reddish-brown sandstone quarried from nearby Seneca Creek, Maryland. Both the style and the stone were controversial choices for the Smithsonian's first building.
53. SICASH_150821_188.JPG: Arm Chair ca 1860 Carved mahogany This Renaissance Revival style armchair originally belonged to Edwin M. Stanton, who served as Abraham Lincoln's second Secretary of War from 1862 to 1865 and President Andrew Johnson's Secretary of War from 1865 to 1867.
54. SICASH_150821_209.JPG: Candelabra ca 1850 Gilt brass This Rococo Revival candelabra is one of [a] pair that were once owned by lawyer and statesman Richard Rush (1780-1859). Rush served as Secretary of State under James Monroe, was United States Ambassador to Great Britain, 1817-1825, and to France, 1847-1849.
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