THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE

Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian Institution Building, more commonly known as the The Castle, is a building on the National Mall built first as a museum, but now houses administrative offices and an information center. The architect, James Renwick, was chosen through a design competition. He later designed St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. The building is constructed of Seneca red sandstone from Maryland, in the Norman Revival style, recalling a 12th - century combination of early Gothic and late Romanesque motifs. Completed in 1855, Renwick designed the Castle to be the focal point of the picturesque landscape of the National Mall. Like other buildings of this vintage, it survived a collapse during construction and a fire 10 years after its completion. Electricity was installed in 1895, and air conditioning in 1968. The principal tower in the center is 91 - feet high and 37 - feet square. On the left side there are two towers. The campanile one on the right is 127-feet tall. The tower on the left side is 45-feet square and 117-feet tall