Letter S. D. Ripley to Lyndon Johnson, June 22, 1965
ID: SIA2011-1433 and SIA2011-1434
Creator: Ripley, Sidney Dillon 1913-2001
Form/Genre: Document
Date: June 22, 1965
Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 99, Box 69, Folder 1
Close
Download IIIF ManifestRequest permissionsDownload image PrintUsage Conditions Apply
The Smithsonian Institution Archives welcomes personal and educational use of its collections unless otherwise noted. For commercial uses, please contact photos@si.edu.Summary
- A letter from S. Dillon Ripley, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson requesting that the U.S. Court of Claims Building be transferred to Smithsonian custody for use as a museum.
- William Wilson Corcoran began construction on his gallery of art at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in 1859 and hired as the architect James Renwick, Jr., who had designed the Smithsonian Institution Building, or "Castle." The building was seized by the government in 1861 and used as a warehouse and office space for Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs during the Civil War. The building was eventually returned to Corcoran, and opened as his art gallery in 1872. When his collection outgrew the space, he built a new gallery nearby. The building was then used as the U.S. Court of Claims Building until 1965, when it was transferred to the Smithsonian, and renovated for use as the Renwick Gallery of Art devoted to American crafts and decorative arts.
Subject
- Johnson, Lyndon B (Lyndon Baines) 1908-1973
- Corcoran, W. W (William Wilson) 1798-1888
- Renwick, James 1818-1895
- Ripley, Sidney Dillon 1913-2001
- Court of Claims Building
- Corcoran Gallery of Art
- United States President (1963-1969 : Johnson)
- Renwick Gallery
Category
Historic Images of the Smithsonian
Notes
SIA2011-1433 is page 1 and SIA2011-1434 is page 2.
Contained within
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 99, Box 69, Folder 1
Contact information
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
Date
- June 22, 1965
- Civil War, 1861-1865
- 1961-1970
Restrictions & Rights
No restrictions
Topic
- Art museums
- Secretaries
- Interagency Transfers
- History
Place
- United States
- Washington (D.C.)
Form/Genre
- Document
- Letters (correspondence)
- Paper
ID Number
SIA2011-1433 and SIA2011-1434
Physical description
Number of Images: 2; Color: Color; Size: 8w x 10.5h; Type of Image: Document; Medium: Paper