A Look at Where the Smithsonian Could Construct New Museums

• November 29th 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

Last December, Congress authorized the creation of a women’s history museum and the National Museum of the American Latino as part of DC's Smithsonian Institution. Now, the Smithsonian is zeroing in on some potential sites for these expected additions.

While a forthcoming study may identify more sites, here are four of the sites which have already been identified:

• The “South Monument site”, located on the opposite side of the Mall from the National Museum of African American History and Culture (map). The National Park Service controls the site. 
• The “Northwest Capitol site”, just northwest of Pennsylvania Avenue and First Street NW (map). The Architect of the Capitol controls the site. 
• The site that houses the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building (map) is considered large enough for co-location of the National Museum of the American Latino.
• The site that houses the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters (map) is also under consideration for the National Museum of the American Latino as USDA workers have been dispersed in recent years. The General Services Administration controls the site.

The study identifying potential new sites will be presented to the National Capital Planning Commission next week; a group of Senators recently submitted a letter to the Smithsonian urging that both museums be located on The Mall. It is unclear whether site selection will be impacted by a recent report about flood risks impacting museums on the Mall.

Final museum sites are mandated to be officially selected in December 2022, following at least two additional presentations next year.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/where-the-smithsonian-could-construct-new-museums/18992.