Smithsonian Institution Arts and Industries Building

History

The AIB is the first building of its kind on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall. Originally named the National Museum Building, it was built to house the many foreign and domestic exhibits from the 1876

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Architecture

Adolf Cluss and his fellow engineers based the National Museum in part on the design of recently constructed international exposition buildings, including the 1876 Government Building in Philadelphia.

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19th Century "Green"

Adolf Cluss’s original goals for the Arts and Industries Building could almost be read as the foundation for today’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria.

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History of Use

By 1911, the AIB had already become too small for the museum’s constantly expanding collections and increasing number of public visits. The need for a second, larger structure was clear.

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Quick Facts

The AIB is designed to be a “green” building; one of its original architects’ core values was that of sustainability. Read more

Safety concerns regarding the building led to is closure to the public in 2004. Read more

Architect Adolf Cluss’s goals for the AIB included fresh air and natural light in every space. Read more

The roof of the AIB covers over 90,000 square feet, and includes 33 individual roofs over the building’s main spaces. Read more

The AIB’s “modernized Romanesque” style of architecture was intended to balance the adjacent Smithsonian Castle’s design. Read more

Smithsonian

Arts and Industries Building

The Arts and Industries Building (AIB) is the second oldest of the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Built between April 1879 and March 1881. It is the Nation’s best-preserved example of nineteenth century world’s fair or exposition architecture. Restoration of the exterior–replacement of the roof and windows and upgrades to the building’s structure–began on November 15, 2010, and was completed in 2015.

The building is currently closed to the public.

History

Architecture

19th Century "Green"

History of Use

Revitalization

Rotunda

Our History

Quick Facts

Arts and Industries Building