The Arts and Industries Building features a red and buff brick exterior topped with a distinct, multicolored roof that glows against the lawn. Completed in eighteen eighty-one, it served as the first home for the Smithsonian’s vast collection of objects. When the building opened for the inaugural ball of President James Garfield, the gaslights were so bright that guests complained they could see every imperfection in their clothing. Today, it remains the oldest of the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall.
Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building
museum
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