The Smithsonian museums are the most widely visible part of the United States' Smithsonian Institution and consist of 20 museums and galleries as well as the National Zoological Park.Facts about the Smithsonian Institution. newsdesk.si.edu (Pressroom of the Smithsonian Institution). Retrieved February 19, 2011 17 of these collections are located in Washington, D.C., with 11 of those located on the National Mall. The remaining ones are in New York City and Chantilly, Virginia. The Arts and Industries Building is only open for special events.

The birth of the Smithsonian Institution can be traced to the acceptance of James Smithson's legacy, willed to the United States in 1826. Smithson died in 1829, and in 1836, President Andrew Jackson informed Congress of the gift, which it accepted. In 1838, Smithson's legacy, which totaled more than $500,000, was delivered to the United States Mint and entered the Treasury. After eight years, in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution was established.History. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved November 19, 2011

The Smithsonian Institution Building (also known as "The Castle") was completed in 1855 to house an art gallery, a library, a chemical laboratory, lecture halls, museum galleries, and offices.The Smithsonian Building: A Building Worthy of Smithson's Gift. From Smithson to Smithsonian: The Birth of an Institution. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved March 11, 2010 During this time the Smithsonian was a learning institution concerned mainly with enhancing science and less interested in being a museum. Under the second secretary, Spencer Fullerton Baird, the Smithsonian turned into a full-fledged museum, mostly through the acquisition of 60 boxcars worth of displays from the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The income from the exhibition of these artifacts allowed for the construction of the National Museum, which is now known as the Arts and Industries Building. This structure was opened in 1881 to provide the Smithsonian with its first proper facility for public display of the growing collections.Baird and the Centennial Exposition . Spencer F. Baird's Vision for a National Museum . Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved March 16, 2010

The Institution grew slowly until 1964 when Sidney Dillon Ripley became secretary. Ripley managed to expand the institution by eight museums and increased admission from 10.8 million to 30 million people a year.Molotsky, Irvin, S. Dillon Ripley Dies at 87; Led the Smithsonian Institution During Its Greatest Growth. The New York Times. March 13, 2001, Retrieved March 16, 2010 This period included the greatest and most rapid growth for the Smithsonian, and it continued until Ripley's resignation in 1984. Since the completion of the Arts and Industries Building, the Smithsonian has expanded to twenty separate museums with roughly 137 million objects in their collections, including works of art, natural specimens, and cultural artifacts. The Smithsonian museums are visited by over 25 million people every year.

Museums 11 of the 20 Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries are at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the open-area national park in Washington, D.C. running between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center. Six other Smithsonian museums including the National Zoo are located elsewhere in Washington. Two more Smithsonian museums are located in New York City, and one is located in Chantilly, Virginia.

The Smithsonian also holds close ties with over 200 museums in all 50 states, as well as Panama and Puerto Rico. These museums are known as Smithsonian Affiliates. Collections of artifacts are given to these museums in the form of long-term loans from the Smithsonian. These long-term loans are not the only Smithsonian exhibits outside the Smithsonian museums. The Smithsonian also has a large number of traveling exhibitions. Each year more than 50 exhibitions travel to hundreds of cities and towns all across the United States.

Authorization to create two additional museums, the National Museum of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum, passed Congress in 2020 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The museums have not yet been created; when the bill was passed, the Smithsonian had two years to select the museums' locations on or near the National Mall.Solly, Meilan. Congress Approves Smithsonian Museums Honoring Women and Latino Americans. Smithsonian Magazine. December 23, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021. Four possible sites were selected in 2022.Blair, Elizabeth. "The Smithsonian selects four possible sites for new museums for women and Latinos". NPR. June 22, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2026.

Institution Type of collection LocationMaps and Directions. The Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved February 21, 2011 Opened Picture Anacostia Community Museum African American culture Washington, D.C. Anacostia 1967 Mission and History Anacostia Community Museum. Retrieved December 6, 2009 Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (affiliated with the Freer Gallery) Asian art Washington, D.C. National Mall 1987 History of the Galleries . Freer and Sackler Galleries. Retrieved December 6, 2009 Arts and Industries Building Special event venue Washington, D.C. National Mall 1881 Arts and Industries Building. The Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved December 26, 2015. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Design history New York City Museum Mile 1897 About The Museum . Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Retrieved December 6, 2009 Freer Gallery of Art (affiliated with the Sackler Gallery) Asian art Washington, D.C. National Mall 1923 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Contemporary and modern art Washington, D.C. National Mall 1974 History of the Hirshhorn . Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Retrieved December 6, 2009 National Air and Space Museum Aviation and spaceflight history Washington, D.C. National Mall National Air and Space Museum Chronology . National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved December 6, 2009 National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Aviation and spaceflight history Chantilly, Virginia 2003 Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved February 25, 2010 National Museum of African American History and Culture African-American history and culture Washington, D.C. National Mall About Us . National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved February 25, 2010Building The Museum, Overview. National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved January 10, 2010 National Museum of African Art African art Washington, D.C. National Mall National Museum of American History American history Washington, D.C. National Mall 1964 Mission and History. National Museum of American History. Retrieved February 14, 2018 National Museum of the American Indian Native American history and art Washington, D.C. National Mall 2004 About the National Museum of the American Indian . National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved February 25, 201020,000 American Indians March at National Museum Opening. National Geographic News. September 21, 2004. Retrieved December 29, 2009 National Museum of the American Indian's George Gustav Heye Center Native American history and art New York City Bowling Green 1994 Visitor Information New York, NY . National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved December 29, 2009 National Museum of Natural History Natural history Washington, D.C. National Mall A Brief History . National Museum of Natural History Museum History. Retrieved February 21, 2011 National Portrait Gallery Portraiture Washington, D.C. Penn Quarter 1968 Visiting the Museum, A Brief Overview: History with Personality. National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved February 25, 2010Visiting the Museum, Building Chronology. National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved December 29, 2009 National Postal Museum United States Postal Service; postal history; philately Washington, D.C. NoMa 1993 History of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum . National Postal Museum. Retrieved December 29, 2009 Renwick Gallery American craft and decorative arts Washington, D.C. Lafayette Square 1972 About the American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery, History of the Museum Collection . Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved December 29, 2009 Smithsonian American Art Museum American art Washington, D.C. Penn Quarter 1968 Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle) Visitor center and offices Washington, D.C. National Mall 1855 Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle). Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved February 21, 2011 National Zoological Park (National Zoo) Zoo Washington, D.C. Rock Creek Park 1889 History of the National Zoo . National Zoological Park. Retrieved December 29, 2009

Notes

See also List of museums in Washington, D.C. Architecture of Washington, D.C.

References

External links Smithsonian Institution website Smithsonian Affiliated Museums