May 3, 1968

May 3, 1968 The National Collection of Fine Arts, now the Smithsonian American Art Museum, is dedicated, having moved out of the Natural History Building and into the Old Patent Office Building which was vacated by the Civil Service Commission. At the dedication, President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson are escorted through the galleries by Secretary and Mrs. S. Dillon Ripley. The public opening was on May 6.

The The National Collection of Fine Arts is located on this side of the Old Patent Office Building at 8th and G Streets, N.W. The National Portrait Gallery is located on the opposite side. The Old Patent Office building is a Greek Revival structure, built (1836-66) by Robert Mills. In 1980, NCFA was renamed the National Museum of American Art, and in 2000 it became known as the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives