The Arts and Industries Building has been empty for two years.

In Washington, D.C., the first building constructed specifically as a Smithsonian Institution museum may be the last museum on the National Mall to be restored. The 125-year-old Arts and Industries building—a National Historic Landmark famous for its polychromatic brick exterior, octagonal rotunda, and Victorian ornaments—has been shuttered since 2004.

The roof has cracked, causing significant leakage; paint is chipping throughout the interior; and mechanical systems need repair or replacement. The structure may even be compromised, according to sources familiar with the building. In addition, a 1970s renovation divided the original spacious floorplan. Although the building needs immediate repairs, the Smithsonian has no plans to restore or reopen it.

In 1876, the Smithsonian chose the architectural team of Adolf Cluss and Paul Schulze to design the new U.S. National Museum, the first museum building dedicated on the Mall. The Victorian building would display artifacts that had been donated from that year's Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, which had been temporarily housed in the main Smithsonian office building known as the Castle.

Cluss designed dozens of public and private buildings in Washington, and his red-brick Victorian structures contrast with the classical stone architecture that would come to dominate the capital. Like much of his other work, the National Museum demonstrated an intriguing but orderly floor plan, enlivened with whimsical touches. "On the main floor," Cluss later wrote, "there are available … 17 halls which fully communicate with one another by wide and lofty archways."

The museum broke ground in 1879 and opened to the public in 1881. Over the next few decades, the Arts and Industries building (as it was renamed in 1910) would host exhibits about natural history, aviation, and American history—spawning the seeds of today's most popular Smithsonian museums. Between 1974 and 1976, the Smithsonian closed the museum for renovation, updating its mechanical systems and reordering some of its interior spaces.

The mothballed museum

The building reopened on the centennial of its inception with an exhibit on the 1876 Centennial Exposition, displaying many of the original collections it was built to house. "This building started life as an exhibition building, and several of the major Smithsonian museums began in that building," says Rob Nieweg, director of the National Trust's southern field office. "In a way, it's the mother of the Smithsonian Institution, and it's a very significant building. It must have a public function."

In recent years, however, the Arts and Industries building has suffered from a lack of a clear identity, housing a series of temporary exhibits on a range of topics, as well as a children's theater.

In January 2004, citing safety concerns, the Smithsonian closed the museum to visitors, and the institution is now relocating the building's few remaining employees to other locations. Although posted signs indicate that the building is closed for renovation, the Smithsonian admits that it has no current plans for its restoration, aside from the basic maintenance associated with mothballing such a large structure. The institution briefly considered the building was as a possible location for the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, but in January its board of regents chose another site instead.

"We don't yet know what the building will be used for," says Linda St. Thomas, a Smithsonian spokeswoman. "The secretary and the board of regents will have various meetings about it to determine where it fits into the list of the many millions of dollars worth of restorations we need to do on all the Smithsonian museums."

St. Thomas estimates that Arts and Industries requires $100 million worth of preservation work but notes that the Smithsonian is first concerned with upgrading the National Museum of American History and with reopening the building that houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, which will happen this summer after years of renovation.

"For us, it is a very alarming red flag that the Smithsonian is emptying the Arts and Industries building," Nieweg says. "It's a warning that the building is no longer wanted. When we have asked the Smithsonian what the future is for the building, there is no answer, and what we strongly support at this time is whatever measures need to happen so the building won't collapse. You cannot have any substantial period of time when the building isn't being used."

The Trust is now advocating for a public process to outline alternatives for the building, as well as a master plan for the future of all the Smithsonian's structures. "No one is going to argue with the idea that the other buildings have to be maintained, but the master plan has to take into account all of the buildings, including Arts and Industries," Nieweg says. "It's a fairly large building, so portions could be exhibit space and portions could be redeveloped for a private use."

Crafting a restoration plan will require the talents of many people. "I'm confident that some of the best minds in architecture, preservation, and museum design are ready to work hand-in-hand with the Smithsonian to find innovative new ways to bring Arts and Industries back to life," says National Trust President Richard Moe. "That's going to take creative thinking, broad-based public participation, as well as private and public funding sources."

Grand entrance, now closed

Once a plan is in place, the District of Columbia's historic preservation office would be charged with reviewing any proposed alterations under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

"The Arts and Industries Building is one of Washington's great architectural monuments of the late 19th century, expressing the era's interest in technological innovation and the type of decorative artistry promoted by John Ruskin that we think of as High Victorian Gothic," says D.C. Preservation Planner Stephen Callcott. "The D.C. Historic Preservation Office looks forward to working with the Smithsonian on developing and reviewing a plan that will result in the building's reuse and sensitive adaptation for an appropriate new use."

Other organizations have become increasingly concerned about the fate of the museum as well. "It's a beautiful and significant building, and its retention is essential to the Mall," says Rebecca Miller, director of the D.C. Preservation League. "Hopefully the Smithsonian can find some kind of use that would be compatible with the building."

The National Coalition to Save Our Mall, a grassroots group, believes the current debate over Arts and Industries suggests a larger problem. Coalition President Judy Scott Feldman notes that six agencies, including the Smithsonian, the National Park Service, and the General Services Administration, have jurisdiction over some aspect of the National Mall, leading to piecemeal decisions about its future. Feldman believes that the building would be ideally suited as a visitor orientation center for the Mall—and not just the Smithsonian, but the memorials on the Mall's western end and other nearby sites.

"The Arts and Industries building is a wonderful, quirky, historic building, and it has been declining for many years without a real purpose," Feldman says. "If we could turn the building into a symbol of the historic intention of the Mall and its ongoing role as a vibrant stage for American democracy, it could be the hub around which all the varying interests could come together."

Kim O'Connell is a freelance preservation writer based in Arlington, Virginia.

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