Smithsonian Castle

This original model of the Castle was found here in an upstairs attic sometime in the late 1960s or early 70s. The medieval revival building style ...

Architect James Renwick, Jr. was twenty-eight years old when he won the design competition for the Smithsonian Institution Building. Renwick submit...

During its early years, the Castle served as a home for the Smithsonian secretary and his family and living quarters for scientists and explorers.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo had its modest beginnings in the south yard of the Castle. A collection of live animals was assembled for taxidermis...

Originally, open walkways patterned after medieval cloisters ran along the north sides of both the West Range and East Range. Smithsonian planner R...

James Smithson's legacy to the United States created the world's largest museum and research complex, yet he never visited this country during his ...

The grand, well-lit Commons resembles the chapels of English academic architecture, but the space was always intended for secular use. The room, kn...

Rooms in the Castle have changed in form, function and name over the years. During the fireproofing of the West Range, the Gothic-style columns wer...

Since the Castle first opened to the public, the Great Hall has welcomed legions of visitors to the Smithsonian Institution. The hall initially ser...