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Renwick Gallery; Building
The building was saved from destruction by President Kennedy in 1963. It was designed by James Renwick, architech of the Smithsonian "Castle", to serve as the home of the Corcoran Gallery. Construction began in 1859. During the Civil War, Lincoln's Army Quartermaster Montgomery Meigs took over the building as his headquarters.
After the War, the building was finished and the Corcoran collection installed. The collection got too big and was moved to the new Corcordan Gallery site, also designed by Renwick. In 1965, the site was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution and was reopened as the Renwick Gallery in 1971. |