Owls Installed in Castle Tower

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Summary

"Alexa" (named in honor of Secretary Emeritus Alexander Wetmore) and "Athena," two barn owls, are installed by Secretary Ripley in the northwest tower of the SI Building. They produce seven young. By December 1975, the last of the owls, Athena, has disappeared. "Barn owls lived in the castle tower for more than 100 years until the mid-1950's when the windows were locked against the unsanitary creatures."

Subject

  • Smithsonian Institution Building (Washington, D.C.)
  • Smithsonian Institution Building North Towers

Category

Chronology of Smithsonian History

Notes

  • Torch, 6/1977, p. 2
  • Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for the year 1974, p. 95

Contact information

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

Date

1974

Topic

Owls

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