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Earliest Known Sketches of the Smithsonian Institution Building

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

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Object Details

Author
Renwick, James 1818-1895
Subject
Renwick, James 1818-1895
Smithsonian Institution Building (Washington, D.C.)
Smithsonian Institution Building Competition
Category
Historic Images of the Smithsonian
Published in C. R. Field, R. E. Stamm, and H. P. Ewing, The Castle: An Illustrated History of the Smithsonian Building, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993, pg.9.
Summary
Four Gothic scheme sketches of the proposed Smithsonian Institution Building drawn by architect James Renwick, Jr. The sketches, made in pencil and some ink on paper, include: an elevation of the north facade, a plan of the first floor, an elevation of the west wing, and an elevation of the south central tower and are the earliest known conceptual drawings that the architect made.
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.
Contained within
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 92, Item 294
Contact information
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
1846
Standard number
SIA2012-1146
Restrictions & Rights
No restrictions
Type
Paper
Drawing
Physical description
Number of Images: 1 Color: Color ; Size: 10.5w x 7h] ; Type of Image: Architectural Drawing ; Medium: Paper
Smithsonian Archives - History Div
Topic
Architecture, Gothic
Buildings
Architecture, Romanesque
Architectural drawing
Architecture
Architecture--Design and plans
Architectural design
Record ID
siris_sic_13253
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
Usage conditions apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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