The Smithsonian Institution Building will close Feb. 1 for the first major renovation to the Castle since the late 1960s, officials announced Thursday.
All parts of the building will undergo extensive repairs and upgrades starting in March, with work lasting about five years, the Smithsonian said. The budget remains unfinalized.
“It needs to be done. The buildings are old and the systems are old,” Smithsonian chief spokesperson Linda St. Thomas told The Washington Times. “For the public, the Great Hall is going to be like it was in 1855 when it opened.”
Architect James Renwick Jr. designed the Castle, which opened in 1855 as the first Smithsonian building. While the red sandstone exterior is unchanged, workers renovated the interior over the years to accommodate a growing staff.
The building at 1000 Jefferson Dr. SW houses the Smithsonian Visitor Center, a café, a gift shop and a small exhibit of artifacts. It also hosts the administrative headquarters and offices of senior Smithsonian leadership.
Workers in 1968 added a floor with offices during the last renovation, just above the Great Hall where visitors enter.
The upcoming renovation will remove that floor and other recent additions, restoring the hall to its original two-story height and revealing more of the original terrazzo floors and pillars.
“The little café and small shop will be moved to a lower level, creating more public space,” Ms. St. Thomas said.
The Smithsonian plans to launch a virtual Visitor Center website next month with enhanced services to compensate for the closures.
About 150 staff will relocate to the nearby Capital Gallery during the renovations, which will not affect traffic on the National Mall. The garden and pedestrian paths on both sides of the Castle will remain open throughout updates to the building roof and windows, officials confirmed.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
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