Temple of Invention: History of a National Landmark

An image of the Patent Office Building from 1846

Patent Office Building, 1846, Dauguerreotype by John Plumbwe Jr., Library of Congress

This exhibition honors the completion of the building’s glorious renovation and marks the 170th anniversary of President Andrew Jackson signing legislation that authorized the building’s construction. Begun in 1836 and completed in 1868, it was the third public building constructed by the new nation in its capital city.

Description

This landmark was praised by Walt Whitman as the “noblest of Washington buildings” and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States. Charles Robertson, former deputy director at the museum and specialist in American decorative arts, is the guest curator of the exhibition.

Visiting Information

June 30, 2006 – January 21, 2008
Open daily, 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
Free Admission

Publications

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Temple of Invention: History of a National Landmark
This lavishly illustrated history of America’s Patent Office Building illuminates the importance of a treasured national landmark. Today the building is home to two Smithsonian museums, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. The book’s rich historical details from the 1830s to the present will be of particular interest to architectural historians and urban planners and to anyone who loves our nation's capital.

Credit

Temple of Invention: History of a National Landmark is co-organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition and publication are made possible by generous support from Allan J. and Reda R. Riley. Additional support for the publication was provided by Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund.