Page Updated: February 13, 2024
Smithsonian Institute: The Castle
Smithsonian Institute - Washington D.C.
With a current twenty-one museums and the National Zoo in Washington D.C. plus links to numerous museums across the country, the Smithsonian Institution has the largest museum and research presence in the world.
The Castle first opened in 1855 and is the Institution’s oldest building. Designated as a the National Museum in 1857. Today, the Smithsonian Institute Building serves as the Smithsonian Information Center.
At the Smithsonian Castle we learned how the Institution came to be.
The north entrance of the Castle is flanked by two rooms. The right acknowledges the Institutions Distinguished Benefactors. The left holds the remains of the founder of the Smithsonian Institution.
James Smithson, Esquire, of London
Smithson never traveled to America and had no known connection to the country, but still in death bequeathed - in a roundabout way - all of his property to the United States government in trust to found at Washington, under the name of the “Smithsonian Institution,” an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.
Visitors learn these details and other facts about Smithson’s life in Schermer Hall which also contains a handful of museum pieces alongside the Castle’s history, details cover his life, and the crazy amount of time it took the U.S. Congress to approve, collect, and create a plan for the generous gift.
The Castle is the oldest building of the Smithsonian and originally housed objects of natural history belonging to the US Government, a library, and an art gallery.
Today, it serves as the SI Information Center displaying a sampling of each of its expanded museums in the West Wing, along details to help visitors navigate the Smithsonian presence on the National Mall, a gift shop, and a cafe in the Castles Center.
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National Mall and Memorial Parks
National Gallery of Art
