The Smithsonian Museums: Tracing the Arc of American Architecture

The Smithsonian Institution has shaped the character of the National Mall since 1855. Washington’s most beloved museums trace the arc of American architecture, from James Renwick’s Gothic design of the Smithsonian Castle to the contemporary National Museum of African American History and Culture designed by a collaborative team led by David Adjaye, Philip Freelon, and J. Max Bond Jr. Romanesque to Victorian, Neoclassical to Brutalist, each unique building is an architectural study all its own. Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, investigates the backstories behind these celebrated structures. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)