Today in Smithsonian History: March 25, 1969
Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley (right) and an unidentified man unveil the plaque designating the Renwick Gallery on the National register of Historic Places.
Exterior view of the Renwick Gallery, ca. 1875. Image by J. F. Jarvis Steroscopic Views, via Smithsonian Institution Archives.
March 25, 1969 The Renwick Gallery is added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Renwick Gallery opened in 1972 as the home of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s craft and decorative art program. The collection, exhibition program and publications presented by the Renwick Gallery highlight the best craft objects and decorative arts from the 19th century to the present.
The Renwick Gallery is located steps from the White House in the heart of historic federal Washington. Its Second Empire-style building, a National Historic Landmark, was designed by architect James Renwick Jr. in 1859 and completed in 1874. It originally housed the Corcoran Gallery of Art and later the U.S. Court of Claims. For the past 40 years, the building has served as the nation’s premier site honoring the country’s best artists in their fields. Read more about the Renwick’s most recent renovation and reinvention here.
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Posted: 25 March 2019
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