goSmithsonian - February 2008 - (Page 8) THE BASICS HOURS: 11.30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; closed December 25. ADDRESS: 8th and F streets, NW TEL: 202.633.1000 (voice/tape); 202.633.5285 (TTY) WEB: reynoldscenter.org METRO: metro ® Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture The National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum are located together in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. The museums and their new facilities are now known collectively as the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, and are housed in a 19th-century National Historic Landmark building that was recently meticulously renovated. Visitor information desks, located at the museums’ shared entrances, provide easy access to current exhibitions, public programs and other amenities. LUNDER CONSERVATION CENTER Located on the third- and fourth-floor mezzanines, the center offers a unique, behind-the-scenes view through floor-to-ceiling glass walls of the techniques American Art and Portrait Gallery conservation staffs employ to examine, treat and preserve paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and other works of art. LUCE FOUNDATION CENTER FOR AMERICAN ART The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Luce Foundation Center is the only study center in the city where visitors can browse through artworks in the museum’s visible art storage facility, no appointment necessary. More than 3,300 paintings, sculptures, craft and folk art objects are on display in secure glass cases. With the touch of a button, pneumatic drawers open to reveal portrait miniatures, bronze medals and contemporary craft jewelry. NAN TUCKER MCEVOY AUDITORIUM The 346-seat auditorium, on the building’s lower level, features M ● ● ● Gallery Place (GREEN, YELLOW AND RED LINES) About the Building Praised by Walt Whitman as the “noblest of Washington buildings, ” the museums’ home is considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States. Begun in 1836 and completed in 1868, it is one of the oldest public buildings constructed in early Washington. It was the site of Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural ball in March 1865. The two museums have displayed their collections in this building since 1968. 8 www.goSmithsonian.com ROBIN WEINER/SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION http://reynoldscenter.org http://www.goSmithsonian.com
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