Every Washington story on the National Mall starts with a castle. The Smithsonian Institution Building – the red sandstone Castle, finished in 1855 – was the first Smithsonian home and remains its most beloved landmark, a fairy-tale silhouette of turrets and towers rising between the Washington Monument and the Capitol.
Today the Castle serves as the Smithsonian’s visitor center and front door. Inside, the Great Hall orients first-timers with a taste of what awaits across the museums: signature objects, maps and friendly staff who help families plan their day among the 17 museums and galleries the Smithsonian keeps free around the city. The building itself is a treasure – designed by architect James Renwick Jr. in a Norman Revival style, built from red Seneca sandstone that glows at sunrise and sunset.
Outside, the Enid A. Haupt Garden spreads behind the Castle in formal parterre style, a calm green pause between museum visits, with the Sackler Gallery pavilion and the National Museum of African Art beside it. The Castle also holds a quiet piece of history: the crypt of James Smithson, the English scientist whose gift founded the Smithsonian, rests just inside the north entrance. For visitors, it is the happiest place to begin – one red castle, and a whole city of free museums beyond it.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
