Description: The National Zoological Park was conceived by William Temple Hornaday and established by an act of Congress in 1889. The Smithsonian’s collection of living animals was originally intended to aid taxidermists’ studies, but Smithsonian Secretaries Spencer F. Baird and Samuel P. Langley helped expand the small menagerie’s purpose. Today it houses over 2,000 animals of around 400
Description: The Arts and Industries Building (A&I) was designed by two Philadelphia architects: Adolph Cluss and Rudolph Schulze. It first opened in 1881 as the United States National Museum, the Smithsonian’s first building dedicated solely to the research, care, and display of collections. After the natural history collection moved into its own building in 1910, the Arts and Industries