The Old Patent Office Building in Washington, D.C., completed in 1867, houses two Smithsonian Institution museums—the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum. Collections include portraits of all U.S. presidents, along with paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings of numerous historic figures from American history, and the works of more than 7,000 American artists. Following a major renovation, these national treasures, as well as long-hidden architectural features of the 380,000-sf Greek Revival building, can now be viewed in natural light for the first time in decades.
The restoration project Building Team, led by Hartman-Cox Architects, Washington, restored and showcased elements such as the porticos modeled after the Parthenon in Athens, a curving double staircase, colonnades, vaulted galleries, massive windows, and block-long skylights. The effort also restored full visitor access and circulation on all three floors by relocating staff offices to an adjacent building, while opening up 40,000 sf for galleries by removing infill walls and partitions.
The Building Team made extraordinary efforts to use new preservation technologies for restoration of the historic fabric of the building and to re-use historic materials. This included the replacement of the roof with a standing and flat-seam copper exterior. More than 550 windows were replaced, each with an energy shield and UV filter to protect the artworks, while the exterior layer was done in mouth-blown glass, emulating the look of historic glass.
Original marble pavers were salvaged, numbered, restored and reinstalled throughout the building. White oak wood floors consistent with the original design were installed in the remainder of the building.
The project also added several new spaces, two of which are open to visitors—the Lunder Conservation Center and the Luce Foundation Center for American Art. In addition, the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard and the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium, a 346-seat multipurpose space with advanced audio-visual capabilities that was constructed beneath the courtyard, add to the museum's versatility. New monumental stairs and an elevator were added to connect the public entrances at G Street to the auditorium.
A key component of the project was the wholesale replacement of mechanical and electric systems to bring the facility up to current museum standards for lighting and temperature control. As a solid masonry building, however, there was no plenum space in which to place the new systems. The Building Team concealed the M/E components within former ventilation and chimney shafts and under the floors. This set up required modification to the chases to accommodate ductwork and piping. New boilers, chillers, cooling towers, air-handling units, fan coil units, pumps, duct work, and piping were installed so that they would not intrude within the gallery spaces.
Infrastructure modernization included a new telecommunications system with new fiber optic and copper cable, a new fire alarm system (including addressable smoke and heat detectors), and upgrades to the existing fire protection system. A new security system, including glass break and shock sensors, motion detectors, and cameras, will help guard the priceless exhibits.
Restoration of architectural detailing included replacement of worn encaustic and geometric tiles in the Great Hall with handmade, historically accurate, multi-colored replicas produced in England. On the exterior, workers cleaned, patched, and pointed the stone facades.
“The architectural details of the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery restoration were extremely carefully thought out,” said Walker Johnson FAIA, honorary chair of BD+C's Reconstruction Awards program. “The inclusion of mechanical elements within this bearing wall structure is an indication of the length the Building Team went to maintain the original design while still modernizing and restoring the building.”
All told, Hartman-Cox Architects and construction manager Bovis Lend Lease coordinated architects, engineers, and designers from more than one dozen consulting firms representing more than 20 different design disciplines, and prepared four different prime construction contracts for the $283 million renovation. The revitalized building, a major focus of a revitalized downtown Washington, is once again a showpiece for the nation's capital.
Related Stories
Museums | Apr 10, 2015
Henning Larsen Architects designs timber museum extension in Sweden
The new extension will complement Österund’s wooded surroundings
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
9/11 museum triumphs over controversy
The Building Team for this highly visible project had much more than design, engineering, and construction problems to deal with.
Cultural Facilities | Apr 7, 2015
Mies’ Martin Luther King Jr. Library to get makeover
The architects say the modernization aims to improve “Mies in a contemporary Miesian way.”
Cultural Facilities | Apr 6, 2015
Berkeley’s West Branch Library generates more energy than it uses
The 9,400-sf facility is California's first Net Zero Energy-certified building.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 31, 2015
Pratt Institute to offer first-ever degree in placemaking
As part of its new Urban Placemaking and Management degree, Pratt will offer courses on topics such as "the history and theory of public space" and the "economics of place."
Structural Materials | Mar 30, 2015
12 projects earn structural steel industry's top building award
Calatrava's soaring Innovation Science and Technology Building at Florida Polytechnic University is among the 12 projects honored by the American Institute of Steel Construction in the 2015 IDEAS² awards competition.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 30, 2015
Designs released for new entertainment center in Lubbock, Texas
Amenities of the facility include a performance venue that seats 2,220, a smaller one that seats 425, a 6,000-sf multipurpose room, and a bistro café.
Religious Facilities | Mar 23, 2015
Is nothing sacred? Seattle church to become a restaurant and ballroom
A Seattle-based real estate developer plans to convert a historic downtown building, which for more than a century has served as a church sanctuary, into a restaurant with ballroom space.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 17, 2015
The High Line’s co-designer wins contract for The Underline in Miami
James Corner Field Operations will design the master plan for this 10-mile restoration project.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 13, 2015
New Orleans observation tower to feature 320-foot double-helix gondola ride
Tricentennial Tower will take visitors on a 300-year journey through the city's history before landing them at the top for a 360-degree view of the Crescent City.
