Arts and Industries Building

Construction of the Arts and Industries Building in 1879

According to the Smithsonian Archives, "the Congressional appropriation for the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition contained an interesting proviso. It stated that the appropriation was considered a loan, and if income from the exhibition allowed the loan to be repaid, Congress would then allow part of those funds to be used to construct a new building for the National Museum."[5]

The success of the exhibits allowed the loan to be paid off soon after the event.[5] As promised, then, a bill was introduced in Congress two years later by the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian to build a suitable structure.[5] The bill included plans developed by General Montgomery C. Meigs, which were based on the Government Building by James Windrim at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, which was itself inspired by structures at the 1873 Vienna Exposition.[4] Funds were approved in 1879 and the design was executed by Cluss and Schulze, based on the Meigs plan.[6]

During its construction, the materials featured at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition—up to "sixty box cars worth" of donations[5]—were too numerous to fit in the Smithsonian Institution Building and so were temporarily stored in the District Armory Building at the corner of 7th Street SW and Independence Avenue.[5]

According to the aforementioned Smithsonian Archives, "the first event to take place in the new National Museum Building was the Inaugural Ball for President James Garfield and Vice President Chester A. Arthur on March 4, 1881. A temporary wooden floor was laid, two electric lights were placed in the Rotunda, 10,000 bins for hats and coats were erected, 3,000 gas lights were installed, and festive buntings, state flags and seals decorated the halls. A colossal "Statue of America" stood in the Rotundia, illustrative of peace, justice and liberty, grasping in her uplifted hand an electric light "indicative of the skill, genius, progress, and civilization" of America in the 19th century."[7]

Eight months later the museum officially opened to the public.[7] "It contained 80,000 square feet of exhibit space with specially designed mahogany exhibit cases. The exhibit halls contained exhibits on geology, metallurgy, zoology, medicine, anthropology, art, history and technologies such as ceramics, printing, transportation, textiles, fisheries, and agriculture."[7] Under the guidance of George Brown Goode, a historian and ichythyologist, a Division of Arts and Industries and Materia Medica was established that same year[7] and materials from the museum were sent to many late nineteenth century expositions to teach people about the country's political and natural history.[7]

Interior of the Arts and Industries Building in 1982 and 2022

In 1910, the natural history collections were moved to the new National Museum of Natural History, and the old National Museum Building was renamed the Arts and Industries Building.

In 1964 additional exhibitions were moved to the National Museum of History and Technology, now known as the National Museum of American History.

In the middle of 1975, the building was closed to the public to begin moving its remaining exhibits to the newly constructed National Air and Space Museum.[8][9] Restoration work was performed over the next year at a cost of $4.5 million, including the installation of air conditioning.[10]

In May 1976, the Arts and Industries Building reopened with 1876: A Centennial Exhibition, featuring the Philadelphia Exposition artifacts it was originally built to house.[11] Added later were series of temporary exhibitions and a children's theater, known as the Discovery Theater.

By 1995, the building was reported to be in disrepair and at risk of closing down.[12] By 2000, plastic tarps were in place to protect visitors from debris from the crumbling roof.[13] In 2004, the building was closed to the public indefinitely, as funding for the necessary repairs was uncertain.[14][15]

The building's uncertain future and deteriorating condition led the National Trust for Historic Preservation to name it in 2006 as one of America's Most Endangered Places, an annual list of endangered historic sites. In 2009 it was scheduled to receive $25 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for renovation work.[16]

Renovation of the Arts and Industries Building in 2012

Revitalization of the shell alone was solicited in 2010.[17] A complete restoration was projected to cost $200 million ($65 million in structural renovations alone) and last until the year 2014.[18] It has also been discussed as a possible site for a national Latino American museum.[19][20] In January 2014, the Smithsonian announced that the building would remain closed for the foreseeable future, citing funding concerns.[21] But on April 12, 2015, Smithsonian Acting Secretary Albert Horvath said about 40 percent of the building would reopen in fall 2015 for use as a short-term exhibit space. Smithsonian officials said that the building had been architecturally stabilized, and minor refurbishments made to the bathrooms, HVAC system, and interior paint scheme. Horvath said the building would not completely reopen and its fate had not yet been clarified or determined.[22]

After 2015, the building was used occasionally for special events, such as the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.[23][24] The Arts and Industries Building reopened in November 2021 for its first exhibition since 2004, Futures, scheduled to run through July 2022.[25] Afterward, the building is scheduled to be closed for significant renovations, which would allow it to be permanently reopened as early as 2028.[26] The building was evaluated as a possible home for the National Museum of the American Latino or the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum.[27]

The building has hosted a number of exhibitions and artists in residence, such as Catie Cuan, a Futurist-in-Residence who performed at the closing ceremonies of the FUTURES exhibit on July 6, 2022.[28][29]