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The Smithsonian Castle

by
Kelly
Zach
and
Sarah

The purpose of the Smithsonian Castle is very unique. The Smithsonian Institution was originally made for scientific research. Later on, dozens of laboratories and museums were added. In all there are 14 Smithsonian museums. They are located in Washington DC. and New York City and includes the National Zoo in Washington, DC. James Smithson donated $550,000 to the United States of America for “The increase and diffusion of knowledge.” That means he wanted the money to be used to spread and increase knowledge. This was unusual because James Smithson was English and never visited the United States of America. Congress decided to use the money to start the Smithsonian Institute in 1846. The Smithsonian Castle is different from all the other buildings in Washington, D.C but is very important to our nation.

The Smithsonian Castle is a fun and pretty place to visit. James Renwick Jr. designed the Smithsonian Castle in 1846 and construction was finished in 1855. Then, it had a fire on January 24, 1865, and was rebuilt. It was remodeled from 1968 to 1969. The first secretary of the Smithsonian, Joseph Henry, and his family’s home was the Smithsonian Castle. The Smithsonian Castle has 9 distinctive turrets on the outside. The Smithsonian Castle’s location is on the mall in Washington,DC. The Smithsonian Castle is a wonderful and unique building.

The Smithsonian Castle is a very interesting building. It is made of red sandstone from Seneca Creek, Maryland. It was suppose to be made of yellow sandstone but they couldn’t find enough of it. The Smithsonian Castle is the oldest building out of all of the Smithsonian Institutions. James Smithson is in a tomb in the Smithsonian Castle. In the National Museum of National History, you can see the largest diamond and the skull of a 350 million year old fish that is as big as a horse. The Smithsonian Institution’s nickname in America’s Attic because it stores a lot of America’s historic things. The Space Museum has the Wright Brother’s first airplane and a duplicate of the Apollo moon landing model. In closing, the Smithsonian Castle is a enjoyable and educational building to visit.

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Updated: Aug 14, 2002  

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