The Castle

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The Castle is the iconic red sandstone building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that serves as the historic headquarters and visitor center of the Smithsonian Institution.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf building
historic landmark
visitor center
architect James Renwick Jr.
Robert Mills (early concept involvement)
architecturalStyle Norman Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival architecture
category Buildings and structures on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Institution buildings
color red
completionDate 1855
constructionStartDate 1847
coordinates 38.8881°N 77.0260°W
country United States
floorCount 3
function headquarters of the Smithsonian Institution
visitor center of the Smithsonian Institution
hasCollection Smithsonian Associates offices
Smithsonian Institution Archives offices
hasTower central clock tower
hasUse Smithsonian administrative offices
exhibition space
information desk
orientation theater
hasWing east wing
west wing
heritageDesignation District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
National Historic Landmark
inception 1847
locatedInCity Washington, D.C.
locatedInCountry United States
location National Mall
maintainedBy Smithsonian Institution
materialUsed red sandstone
nearby Smithsonian Metro station
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
nickname The Castle
numberOfTowers 9
officialName Smithsonian Institution Building
opened 1855
ownedBy Smithsonian Institution
partOf National Mall and Memorial Parks
Smithsonian Institution campus
roofMaterial slate
significantEvent damaged in 1865 explosion of the steamer Sultana exhibit materials storage (historical collections affected)
design selected by competition in 1846
designated National Historic Landmark in 1965
styleInfluencedBy medieval European castles

Referenced by (2)

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