Preliminary Elevation of the Smithsonian Institution Building's South Facade

Summary

• This drawing, drafted by architect James Renwick, Jr., depicts his Romanesque scheme of the Smithsonian Institution Building. It shows the original three story arrangement of his design, before it was reduced to two stories in an effort to cut costs. This drawing was made in pencil on paper.
• 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 appoint an architect for the design of the Smithsonian's first building.

Subject

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

Category

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 92, Item 298

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

Form/Genre

• Paper
• Drawing

ID Number

SIA2012-1152

Physical description

Number of Images: 1 Color: Color Size: 8w x 8.5h ; Type of Image: Architectural Drawing Medium: Paper

Full Record

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