goSmithsonian - February 2009 - (Page 8) THE BASICS HOURS: 11.30 to 7; closed December 25. ADDRESS: 8th and F streets, NW PHONE: 202.633.1000 (voice/tape) 202.633.5285 (TTY) WEB: reynoldscenter.org americanart.si.edu npg.si.edu goSmithsonian.com METRO: Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture The National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum are housed in a 19th-century National Historic Landmark Building located at 8th and F Streets, NW. The building also houses the elegant Kogod Courtyard and two innovative public spaces—the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, where visitors can browse works of art in a visible storage facility, and the Lunder Conservation Center. ROBERT AND ARLENE KOGOD COURTYARD The light-filled courtyard with its wavy glass canopy is a downtown oasis that features interior landscaping, a café and free Wi-Fi access. LUNDER CONSERVATION CENTER The two museums share the 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 conservators use to examine, treat and preserve paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and other works of art. Ask about weekly behind-the-scenes tours and other special programs at the information desks. DINING GUIDE The Courtyard Café (open daily, 11:30 to 6:30, with limited menu after 3), located in the building’s central Kogod Courtyard, offers specialty sandwiches, panini, soups, salads, desserts and coffee. M metro ● ● ● 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 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 goSmithsonian.com ROBIN WEINER/SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION http://www.reynoldscenter.org http://americanart.si.edu http://npg.si.edu http://www.goSmithsonian.com http://www.goSmithsonian.com
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