The Smithsonian Institution Building, also known as the Castle, is set to reopen after a three-year renovation. The building has been closed since 2023 for renovations, but work will be paused until Sept. 7 to allow visitors to explore the iconic landmark as the nation marks its 250th anniversary of independence. The museum complex is achieving this goal through its American Aspirations exhibit, which will feature some of the country's most treasured objects.
The Smithsonian Institution Building , commonly known as the Castle , has been out of commission since 2023 for renovations. That work will be paused until Sept. 7, giving visitors time to explore the iconic landmark as the nation marks its 250th anniversary of independence this summer.
The museum complex is achieving this goal through its American Aspirations exhibit, which will feature some of the country's most treasured objects, including Thomas Jefferson's desk and an 1884 replica of the Statue of Liberty. The newly completed first phase of construction was intended to get the Castle ready for America 250, which the Smithsonian planned to take part in back in 2021.
Much of the work so far has been done on the Castle's interior, including removing the plaster ceiling, which had sagged under its own weight for the past 170 years. When visitors walk into the Great Hall, a cathedral-like gathering space within the Castle, they will see brick instead of plaster. The underlying brick structure is significant because it helped prevent the building from being destroyed by a fire in 1865.
Over 60% of the improved Castle will be open to the public. For context, less than 20% of the interior was open to the public before the Castle closed in 2023.
As a result, visitors will be able to walk upstairs and enter the basement, areas that were previously inaccessible. The changes will also reflect a more historical aesthetic, closer to the building's mid-19th-century construction. The renovated Castle will also feature a seismic moat, which will protect the 170-year-old building from earthquakes by placing a base isolator between the structural foundation and the ground. This means the ground would move in an earthquake while the Castle remains stable.
The Castle is not the only Smithsonian attraction that's reopening this summer. The Arts and Industries Building, the museum complex's second-oldest building, located next to the Castle, will be open from June 16 to Sept. 7 and host a semiquincentennial-themed exhibit, called Voices and Votes: Exploring Democracy Across America. The last exhibit in the Arts and Industries Building was made for the 1976 bicentennial
Smithsonian Institution Building Castle Renovation America 250 American Aspirations Exhibit Seismic Moat
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