Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden

The Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden sits in a concrete trench six feet below the level of the National Mall. Joseph Hirshhorn, a financier who made his fortune in uranium, donated his massive art collection to the federal government in the nineteen sixties. He wanted a dedicated space for these works, and architect Gordon Bunshaft designed this sunken sanctuary to keep the sculptures protected from the wind and noise of the city streets above. The quiet atmosphere remains the defining feature of the site.