Perspective of the Smithsonian Institution Building's North Tower

ID: SIA2012-1145

Creator: Renwick, James 1818-1895

Form/Genre: Paper

Date: 1846

Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 92, Item 290

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Summary

  • This drawing shows the north entrance and towers of the Smithsonian Institution Building seen from the northwest. Drafted by the architect James Renwick, Jr., it depicts his Romanesque scheme of design for the Smithsonian Institution Building. The drawing, done in pencil on paper, includes a small figure in a top hat and suit to convey the size of the building.
  • James Renwick, Jr., began his design of the Smithsonian Institution Building with a Gothic castle and eventually reworked it into a Romanesque castle. This later scheme won him the competition in 1846 to be appointed architect for the design of the Smithsonian's first building.

Subject

  • Renwick, James 1818-1895
  • Smithsonian Institution Building (Washington, D.C.)
  • Smithsonian Institution Building Flag Tower
  • Smithsonian Institution Building Competition

Category

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Notes

This drawing was reproduced as a wood engraving for the frontispiece of Robert Dale Owen's "Hints on Public Architecture," (New York: G.P. Putnam, 1849) to describe of the Smithsonian Institution Building's plans and architectural style.

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 92, Item 290

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

1846

Restrictions & Rights

No restrictions

Topic

  • Design
  • Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Architecture, Romanesque
  • Drawings
  • Architecture, Gothic
  • Buildings
  • Architectural drawing
  • Architecture--Design and plans
  • Architectural design

Form/Genre

  • Paper
  • Drawing

ID Number

SIA2012-1145

Physical description

Number of Images: 1 Color: Color Size: 7w x 9h; Type of Image: Architectural Drawing; Medium: Paper

Full Record

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