BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center (NPG) -- Exhibit: Renovating a Landmark: From Patent Office to Reynolds Center

DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center (NPG) -- Exhibit: Renovating a Landmark: From Patent Office to Reynolds Center:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Slide Show: Want to see the pictures as a slide show? [Slideshow]

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

[1] SRENOV_160525_003_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[2] SRENOV_160525_004.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[3] SRENOV_160525_008.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[4] SRENOV_160525_015.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[5] SRENOV_160525_021.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[6] SRENOV_160525_022.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[7] SRENOV_160525_026.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[8] SRENOV_160525_030.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[9] SRENOV_160525_035.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[10] SRENOV_160525_042.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[11] SRENOV_160525_045.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[12] SRENOV_160525_051.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[13] SRENOV_160525_054.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[14] SRENOV_160525_061.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[15] SRENOV_160525_066.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[16] SRENOV_160525_073.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[17] SRENOV_160525_082.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[18] SRENOV_160525_086.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[19] SRENOV_160525_093.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[20] SRENOV_160525_096.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[21] SRENOV_160525_101.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[22] SRENOV_160525_107.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[23] SRENOV_160525_113.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[24] SRENOV_160525_121.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[25] SRENOV_160525_125.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[26] SRENOV_160525_129.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[27] SRENOV_160525_138.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[28] SRENOV_160525_142.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[29] SRENOV_160525_147.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[30] SRENOV_160525_152.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[31] SRENOV_160525_159.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[32] SRENOV_160525_163.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[33] SRENOV_160525_168.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[34] SRENOV_160525_172.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[35] SRENOV_160525_176.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[36] SRENOV_160525_182.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[37] SRENOV_160525_188.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[38] SRENOV_160525_193.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[39] SRENOV_160525_200.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[40] SRENOV_160525_205.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[41] SRENOV_160525_210.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[42] SRENOV_160525_214.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[43] SRENOV_160525_216.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[44] SRENOV_160525_223.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[45] SRENOV_160525_226.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[46] SRENOV_160525_230.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[47] SRENOV_160525_237.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[48] SRENOV_160525_240.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[49] SRENOV_160525_244.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[50] SRENOV_160525_247.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[51] SRENOV_160525_250.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[52] SRENOV_160525_256.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[53] SRENOV_160525_260.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[54] SRENOV_160525_264.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[55] SRENOV_160525_271.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[56] SRENOV_160525_275.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[57] SRENOV_160525_278.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[58] SRENOV_160525_282.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[59] SRENOV_160525_285.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[60] SRENOV_160525_288.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[61] SRENOV_160525_290.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[62] SRENOV_160525_294.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[63] SRENOV_160525_297.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[64] SRENOV_160525_303.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[65] SRENOV_160525_306.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[66] SRENOV_160525_310.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[67] SRENOV_160525_312.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[68] SRENOV_160525_315.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[69] SRENOV_160525_320.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[70] SRENOV_160525_322.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[71] SRENOV_160525_326.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[72] SRENOV_160525_332.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[73] SRENOV_160525_335.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[74] SRENOV_160525_338.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[75] SRENOV_160525_341.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[76] SRENOV_160525_345.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[77] SRENOV_160525_355.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[78] SRENOV_160525_357.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[79] SRENOV_160525_360.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[80] SRENOV_160525_363.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[81] SRENOV_160525_367.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[82] SRENOV_160525_372.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[83] SRENOV_160525_377.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[84] SRENOV_160525_380.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[85] SRENOV_160525_383.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[86] SRENOV_160525_390.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SRENOV_160525_008.JPG: Renovating a Landmark: In 2000, the Patent Office Building -- the building in which you are standing -- was closed for a much needed state-of-the-art renovation. Systems had outlived their useful life, and pipes in the attic had burst, sending streams of water into the galleries below. All staff offices, art collections, and support facilities of the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum were moved to other locations. Over the next six years, complete new electrical, communications, security, plumbing, and lighting systems were installed. Floors that had originally been of marble or wood were replicated as closely to the originals as possible. Because it had badly deteriorated, the magnificent encaustic tile floor of the third-floor Great Hall was removed and replaced with an exact copy produced by a firm in England. More than 550 decaying wood-framed windows were replicated for thermal efficiency, using hand-blown glass from Poland to simulate the irregularities of old panes. A major challenge was the installation of a modern heating and air-conditioning system in massive new ductwork throughout the building without destroying its historic architecture. Although the location of old chimney flues was known, sonar was employed to detect undiscovered channels in the masonry walls. A significant gift made possible the construction of a badly needed auditorium for the two museums. The only location for such a large unencumbered space was under the building's open interior courtyard. Excavation of the courtyard necessitated the removal of two 19th-century cast-iron fountains and two old elm trees, which were already infected with Dutch elm disease. An even more generous gift permitted the courtyard to be enclosed with glass canopy so it could be used year-round for dining, installations, and large-scale events. Sir Normal Foster of London was selected in an international competition as the architect for the canopy's contemporary design. In 2005 the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation made a magnificent grant that enabled the building's $283 million renovation to be completed. In recognition of this gift, the building and its facilities were renamed the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. The museums reopened to the public in July 2006 and the courtyard in November 2007.
2. SRENOV_160525_015.JPG: Renovation in Progress
3. SRENOV_160525_021.JPG: New Copper Roof, 1998: The new two-acre roof matches the original 19th-century design and materials as closely as possible. Skylights were reopened to allow natural light -- filtered to prevent ultraviolet damage -- into the top-floor halls.
4. SRENOV_160525_022.JPG: Removal of Stained-Glass Window, 2002: All of the stained glass in the Great Hall (on the third floor) was removed for restoration and repair. A number of damaged panes were duplicated.
5. SRENOV_160525_026.JPG: Courtyard Excavation, 2003: The courtyard was excavated to a depth of 16 feet for the new auditorium. Pilings were driven 60 feet lower to support the weight of the auditorium, courtyard floor, and courtyard canopy.
6. SRENOV_160525_030.JPG: Restoration of Lincoln Gallery, 2005: This third-floor gallery is the only architecturally intact hall surviving from Lincoln's inaugural ball held here in 1865. Circular skylights were reopened, plaster repaired, and a diamond-pattern marble floor installed.
7. SRENOV_160525_035.JPG: Creating the Luce Center, 2004: Workmen cut channels into the concrete floor for electrical conduits. Marble pavers matching the 1880 originals were then laid over the concrete.
8. SRENOV_160525_042.JPG: Installing Tile Floor, 2005: New encaustic tiles for the floor of the Great Hall, which replicate the 1884 originals exactly, were ordered from England.
9. SRENOV_160525_045.JPG: Construction of Courtyard Canopy, 2006: Designed by architect Sir Norman Foster, the canopy is made of 7,000 steel segments welded together in a lattice. The canopy's 860 glass panes are each 6-1/2 feet square. The steel and glass members were fabricated in Germany.
10. SRENOV_160525_051.JPG: Courtyard Canopy Completed, 2007: Architect Sir Norman Foster wanted the canopy to appear as "a cloud settling over the courtyard." The canopy is deliberately raised above the building's roof line.
11. SRENOV_160525_054.JPG: Stained-Glass Pane, c 1884 This pane came from a window in the stairwell of the Great Hall. After an 1877 fire, the top-floor galleries were rebuilt in an ornate Victorian style. The Great Hall received the most lavish, colorful decoration, with stained-glass windows, tile floors, and faux marble finishes. You can see the complete window on the panel "Renovation in Progress."
12. SRENOV_160525_061.JPG: Plaster Rosette, c 1880 This decorative roundel is from the third floor west wing, now the Luce Center for American Art.
13. SRENOV_160525_066.JPG: Window Lift, c 1880: Applied to windows installed after the 1877 fire, these factory-produced brass pulls reflect the ornate design of the Victorian era.
14. SRENOV_160525_073.JPG: Civil Service Commission Record, May 25, 1936: Found behind a grate, this "Memorandum Record of Examination Paper, Jr. & Sr. Stenographer-Typist (Field)" from Salt Lake City, Utah, is a reminder that the Civil Service Commission occupied the building from 1932 to 1963.
15. SRENOV_160525_082.JPG: Floor Tiles, c 1884: The tile floor in the Great Hall reflects the designs of the renowned Minton & Co. of England. In fact, it was manufactured by the short-lived United States Encaustic Tile Works of Indianapolis, the preferred American source.
16. SRENOV_160525_093.JPG: Brick, 19th Century: Molded from local clay, this hand-made brick is the type used in the building's interior walls. It was found during the courtyard excavation.
17. SRENOV_160525_096.JPG: Glass Ale Bottle, c 1858: Found during the courtyard excavation, the bottle bears the raised lettering: ARNY & SHINN GEORGETOWN DC. The company sold ale, porter, and mineral water.
18. SRENOV_160525_101.JPG: Workman's Mallet, 19th Century: Found during the courtyard excavation, this hand-carved mallet would have been used for a variety of purposes.
19. SRENOV_160525_107.JPG: Floor Tiles, c 1884: The tile floor in the Great Hall reflects the designs of the renowned Minton & Co. of England. In fact, it was manufactured by the short-lived United States Encaustic Tile Works of Indianapolis, the preferred American source.
20. SRENOV_160525_113.JPG: Look Around You: The Basics of the Building: Doorway: This room was constructed under the south portico between 1840 and 1842. When you entered, you passed through a doorway cut through the outer wall of the Patent Office Building. The wall is 6 foot 4 inches thick at this level. Ceiling: Plaster has been removed from the ceiling to reveal the brick vaulting system designed in 1836 by architect Robert Mills. He used a new quick-drying hydraulic cement to hold the bricks in place. This same method of vaulted construction was used throughout much of the building. Walls: Gray granite, quarried in Maryland, was used for the base of the building and for three sides of the courtyard. In the doorway passage and just below the vaulting, you can see the coarse tan sandstone -- quarried in Aquia Creek, Virginia -- that was used for the exterior of the building's earliest wing. (The same sandstone was used to build the White House and original wing of the US Capitol.) The white marble employed for the other three wings was quarried in Maryland.
21. SRENOV_160525_121.JPG: Ceiling: Plaster has been removed from the ceiling to reveal the brick vaulting system designed in 1836 by architect Robert Mills. He used a new quick-drying hydraulic cement to hold the bricks in place. This same method of vaulted construction was used throughout much of the building.
22. SRENOV_160525_125.JPG: Doorway: This room was constructed under the south portico between 1840 and 1842. When you entered, you passed through a doorway cut through the outer wall of the Patent Office Building. The wall is 6 foot 4 inches thick at this level. ... Walls: Gray granite, quarried in Maryland, was used for the base of the building and for three sides of the courtyard. In the doorway passage and just below the vaulting, you can see the coarse tan sandstone -- quarried in Aquia Creek, Virginia -- that was used for the exterior of the building's earliest wing. (The same sandstone was used to build the White House and original wing of the US Capitol.) The white marble employed for the other three wings was quarried in Maryland.
23. SRENOV_160525_129.JPG: History: Construction, 1836-68: The Patent Office Building was constructed wing by wing on two city blocks over the 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, designer of the dome of the United States Capitol. 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 a year came to view the patent models and historic curiosities on display in the building. East Model Hall, 1856 (woodcut): From 1852 to 1917, the US Department of Interior occupied much of the lower two floors of the building. The Patent Office moved out in 1932, and the US 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 of Historic Places. South Portico, 1850: The Patent Office Building is one of the finest examples of Greek revival architecture in the country, with porticoes modeled after the Parthenon in Athens. This 1850 photograph shows the original stairs leading to the second-floor portico with its massive Doric columns. In 1936 the steps were removed from the widening of F Street, and the current entrance at ground level was created. When funding becomes available, the stairs will be reconstructed, although in a different configuration. The columns in the photograph are draped in black in mourning for the death of President Zachary Taylor. The room in which you are standing is under the right side of the portico.
24. SRENOV_160525_138.JPG: Construction, 1836-68: The Patent Office Building was constructed wing by wing on two city blocks over the 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, designer of the dome of the United States Capitol. 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 a year came to view the patent models and historic curiosities on display in the building.
25. SRENOV_160525_142.JPG: East Model Hall, 1856 (woodcut): From 1852 to 1917, the US Department of Interior occupied much of the lower two floors of the building. The Patent Office moved out in 1932, and the US 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 of Historic Places.
26. SRENOV_160525_147.JPG: South Portico, 1850: The Patent Office Building is one of the finest examples of Greek revival architecture in the country, with porticoes modeled after the Parthenon in Athens. This 1850 photograph shows the original stairs leading to the second-floor portico with its massive Doric columns. In 1936 the steps were removed from the widening of F Street, and the current entrance at ground level was created. When funding becomes available, the stairs will be reconstructed, although in a different configuration. The columns in the photograph are draped in black in mourning for the death of President Zachary Taylor. The room in which you are standing is under the right side of the portico.
27. SRENOV_160525_152.JPG: Courtyard & Fountains: Courtyard, c 1873: This is the earliest known photograph of the courtyard. It was taken by Titian Ramsay Peale, a patent examiner who was the son of Charles Willson Peale, the noted American painter and naturalist. Here the west fountain is in place, and the landscaping consists only of walkways. East Fountain, 1968: Flowers in pots have been placed around the perimeter of the fountain's cast-iron base. Though documentation for the fountains had not survived, 19th-century catalogues from Mott Brothers and Robert Wood offer similar fountains. Courtyard, c. 1973: Two elm trees shade the courtyard, and seasonal flowers have been planted in beds on the lawns. This view looks east, with the west fountain in the foreground.
28. SRENOV_160525_159.JPG: Courtyard, c. 1873: This is the earliest known photograph of the courtyard. It was taken by Titian Ramsay Peale, a patent examiner who was the son of Charles Willson Peale, the noted American painter and naturalist. Here the west fountain is in place, and the landscaping consists only of walkways.
29. SRENOV_160525_163.JPG: East Fountain, 1968: Flowers in pots have been placed around the perimeter of the fountain's cast-iron base. Though documentation for the fountains had not survived, 19th-century catalogues from Mott Brothers and Robert Wood offer similar fountains.
30. SRENOV_160525_168.JPG: Courtyard, c. 1973: Two elm trees shade the courtyard, and seasonal flowers have been planted in beds on the lawns. This view looks east, with the west fountain in the foreground.
31. SRENOV_160525_172.JPG: Segment of Fountain, c 1868: Each fountain was 17 feet 4 inches in diameter and was cast in segments joined together by brackets of stylized foliage. The segments were embedded in a flat concrete base that formed the bottom of the fountain. When the fountains were disassembled for the excavation of the courtyard, they were found to be in poor condition. Reconstruction was not deemed feasible, and the fountain parts are currently in storage. Urn from Fountain, c 1974: In the 1970s, eight classical cast-cement urns for flowers were added to the perimeter of each fountain, replacing the earlier, more informal flowerpots.
32. SRENOV_160525_182.JPG: Urn from Fountain, c 1974: In the 1970s, eight classical cast-cement urns for flowers were added to the perimeter of each fountain, replacing the earlier, more informal flowerpots.
33. SRENOV_160525_188.JPG: Courtyard, c. 1990: Tables and chairs are available for outdoor dining and relaxation. Sculptures by Alexander Calder at lower left and upper right are from the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The two trees later contracted Dutch elm disease and had to be removed. The renovation's transformation of the courtyard for year-round use necessitated the paving and landscaping you see today.
34. SRENOV_160525_193.JPG: Decorative Railing Support, c 1880: This cast-iron support, originally washed in bronze, came from a mezzanine in the west wing's top floor, now the Luce Center for American Art. In 1877 a disastrous fire gutted the top floors of the west and north wings, collapsing the roofs and destroying 87,000 patent models. Washington architect Adolf Cluss rebuilt these galleries -- and the south hall, now called the Great Hall -- in then-popular high Victorian style, in contrast to the austere classicism of the rest of the building. Cluss's decorative features, including this railing support, were characterized at the time as "Modern Renaissance."
35. SRENOV_160525_200.JPG: Architect's Model, 1964: The model was fabricated for the 1965-68 renovation of the building for occupancy by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. After years of neglect, $5,465,000 was appropriated by Congress for the project, but when construction bids exceeded this amount by 35 percent, the scope of work had to be reduced and compromises made.
36. SRENOV_160525_214.JPG: National Collection of Fine Arts National Portrait Gallery Former Government Patent Office Building Smithsonian Institution Architectural Consultant: Bayard Underwood
37. SRENOV_160525_216.JPG: The Renovated Landmark, 2007: Resplendent with its new canopy, the venerable structure continues to dominate its changing neighborhood. The building's enclosed courtyard at 28,000 square feet is now one of the largest unobstructed historic interior spaces in the nation's capital. The renovated landmark proudly fulfills the mission established for it in 1836 when Congress authorized its construction as "a place to celebrate the present the achievement of the American people."
38. SRENOV_160525_223.JPG: Renovation & Enhancement of the Patent Office Building
39. SRENOV_160525_226.JPG: The Old Patent Building: Patent Office Building, south wing, 1846
40. SRENOV_160525_230.JPG: Postcard images
41. SRENOV_160525_237.JPG: The great fire, 1877: A fire gutted the top floors of the north and west wings. The roofs collapsed, and 87,000 patent models were destroyed.
42. SRENOV_160525_240.JPG: Model room in the south wing. Civil War: soldiers' bunks amid cases of patent models. From Harper's weekly, June 1, 1861 Great Hall, 1887
43. SRENOV_160525_244.JPG: Civil War: soldiers' bunks amid cases of patent models. From Harper's weekly, June 1, 1861
44. SRENOV_160525_247.JPG: Great Hall, 1887
45. SRENOV_160525_250.JPG: Model room in the south wing
46. SRENOV_160525_256.JPG: Lincoln's second inaugural ball, March 6, 1865: The ball was held in the third-floor gallery of the Patent Office's north wing. More than 4,000 guests attended. The space is now called the Lincoln Gallery.
47. SRENOV_160525_260.JPG: Patent Office, 1861 "Noblest of Washington buildings." -- Walt Whitman
48. SRENOV_160525_264.JPG: Exterior Stone Repair, 2001-2003 Stone repair on architrave and frieze
49. SRENOV_160525_271.JPG: Repairing marble on north facade. Cleaning sandstone on south portico. Cleaning granite on south facade.
50. SRENOV_160525_275.JPG: Demolition and Salvage: Salvaging stone in the courtyard moat
51. SRENOV_160525_278.JPG: Salvaged segments of the fountains are crated for storage. Workmen dismantle the cast-iron fountains in the courtyard. Salvaged material stored on-site for reinstallation.
52. SRENOV_160525_282.JPG: Workmen dismantle the cast-iron fountains in the courtyard
53. SRENOV_160525_285.JPG: Workmen dismantle the cast-iron fountains in the courtyard
54. SRENOV_160525_288.JPG: Salvaged segments of the fountains are crated for storage
55. SRENOV_160525_290.JPG: Salvaged material stored on-site for reinstallation
56. SRENOV_160525_294.JPG: The Great Hall: Third Floor, South Wing Completed encaustic tile floor in the Great Hall.
57. SRENOV_160525_297.JPG: Restored stained-glass skylight. A workman repairs the faux-marble wainscot. View through the Great Hall during construction.
58. SRENOV_160525_303.JPG: Lincoln Gallery: Third Floor, East Wing New up-lighting system for the Lincoln Gallery's ceiling vaults.
59. SRENOV_160525_306.JPG: Restored plaster in the ceiling vaults of the Lincoln Gallery. Burying electrical conduit in the floor of the Lincoln Gallery. Construction in progress in the Lincoln Gallery.
60. SRENOV_160525_310.JPG: Burying electrical conduit in the floor of the Lincoln Gallery
61. SRENOV_160525_312.JPG: Construction in progress in the Lincoln Gallery
62. SRENOV_160525_315.JPG: Restored plaster in the ceiling vaults of the Lincoln Gallery
63. SRENOV_160525_320.JPG: Restored plaster in the ceiling vaults of the Lincoln Gallery
64. SRENOV_160525_322.JPG: Luce Center for American Art: Third Floor and Mezzanines, West Wing The Luce Foundation Center for American Art is an open study/storage space holding about 3,400 objects from the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Here visitors can see works that would otherwise not be on display because of space constraints in the main galleries. Preparing of sub-flooring in the Luce Center.
65. SRENOV_160525_326.JPG: Installing protective materials in the Luce Center. Repairing decorative plasterwork in a column. Installation of new lightweight concrete sub-floor in the Luce Center. New ductwork in the Luce Center mezzanine.
66. SRENOV_160525_332.JPG: New ductwork in the Luce Center mezzanine
67. SRENOV_160525_335.JPG: Repairing decorative plasterwork in a column
68. SRENOV_160525_338.JPG: Installing protective materials in the Luce Center
69. SRENOV_160525_341.JPG: Installation of new lightweight concrete sub-floor in the Luce Center
70. SRENOV_160525_345.JPG: Courtyard Under Construction: A jungle of scaffolding is erected to support the courtyard roof members, 2006.
71. SRENOV_160525_355.JPG: Concrete slab is poured and finished for the courtyard floor, 2004. The courtyard has been excavated to make room for a new auditorium. Triangular "piling caps" will support the concrete slab for the auditorium floor. Steel beams are installed for the auditorium ceiling, 2004. These will also support the flooring of the new courtyard above it.
72. SRENOV_160525_357.JPG: The courtyard has been excavated to make room for a new auditorium. Triangular "piling caps" will support the concrete slab for the auditorium floor.
73. SRENOV_160525_360.JPG: Concrete slab is poured and finished for the courtyard floor, 2004
74. SRENOV_160525_363.JPG: Steel beams are installed for the auditorium ceiling, 2004. These will also support the flooring of the new courtyard above it.
75. SRENOV_160525_367.JPG: Building the Courtyard Canopy: A billowing wave of glass panels is fitted into the framework. The canopy's 860 glass panes are each 6-1/2 feet square.
76. SRENOV_160525_372.JPG: The canopy framework is made of 7,000 steel segments welded together in a lattice. Every piece is different and engineered for its exact location. Partially completed steel framework of the canopy. The capital of a steel column is hoisted into place.
77. SRENOV_160525_377.JPG: Partially completed steel framework of the canopy
78. SRENOV_160525_380.JPG: The canopy framework is made of 7,000 steel segments welded together in a lattice. Every piece is different and engineered for its exact location.
79. SRENOV_160525_383.JPG: The capital of a steel column is hoisted into place
80. SRENOV_160525_390.JPG: The Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard Architect's rendering of the completed courtyard, which will be called The Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard.
Multi Column: Number of columns of thumbnails to appear per page (normally defaults to 3): [1 col] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Description of Subject Matter: Renovating a Landmark: From Patent Office to Reynolds Center
November 17, 2007 – Permanent
This small exhibition commemorates the opening of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, the final phase of a major renovation of the National Historic Landmark building that houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. It highlights aspects of the renovation with photographs, architectural artifacts from the building, and objects discovered during the excavation of the courtyard. Also included are historic images of the building, a 7-foot segment of one of the 19th-century cast iron fountains from the courtyard, and an architect's model of the building.
Related publication: Temple of Invention: History of a National Landmark by Charles Robertson, who is also the guest curator of the exhibition: $19.95 (paper)
Note: This National Historic Landmark building was formerly the Patent Office Building.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center (NPG) -- Exhibit: Renovating a Landmark: From Patent Office to Reynolds Center) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2024_01_27E5_SIPG_Renovating: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center (NPG) -- Exhibit: Renovating a Landmark: From Patent Office to Reynolds Center (60 photos from 01/27/2024)
- 2013_DC_SIPG_Renovating: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center (NPG) -- Exhibit: Renovating a Landmark: From Patent Office to Reynolds Center (22 photos from 2013)
- 2007_DC_SIPG_Renovating: DC -- Donald W. Reynolds Center (NPG) -- Exhibit: Renovating a Landmark: From Patent Office to Reynolds Center (3 photos from 2007)
Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [(Smithsonian) Donald Reynolds Center (Everything)] [(Smithsonian) Donald Reynolds Center (Non-Events)] [Museums (Art)]
2016 photos: Seven relatively short trips this year: two Civil War Trust conference (Gettysburg, PA and West Point, NY, with a side-trip to New York City), my 11th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including sites in Utah, Nevada, and California), a quick trip to Michigan for Uncle Wayne's funeral, two additional trips to New York City, and a Civil Rights site trip to Alabama during the November elections. Being in places where people died to preserve the rights of minority voters made the Trumputin election even more depressing. Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. Number of photos taken this year: just over 610,000.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Limiting Text: You can turn off all of this text by clicking this link: [Thumbnails Only]
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].