Today in Smithsonian History: October 5, 1968
The National Collection of Fine Arts, now known as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 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 (not shown in photograph). The Old Patent Office building is a Greek Revival structure, built (1836-1866) by Robert Mills and became home to the National Collection of Fine Arts in 1968. In 1980, NCFA was renamed the National Museum of American Art, and then in 2000 it became known as the Smithsonian American Art Museum. (Photographer unknown, ca. 1970s)
October 5, 1968 Opening ceremonies are held at the National Portrait Gallery. The museum collects and displays paintings, sculptures, graphics and photographs of men and women who have made significant contributions to the history, development and culture of the United States. The museum is located in the historic former Patent Office Building (newly renamed the Fine Arts and Portraits Galleries), which it shares with the National Collection of Fine Arts, now the National Museum of American Art. The Gallery opens to the public on October 7, 1968.
The Patent Office Building in 1846. (Daguerreotype by John Plumbwe Jr., courtesy of the Library of Congress)
Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives
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Posted: 5 October 2019
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