The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is the original

Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bo ...

. The

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

is part of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

and located on the

National Mall The National Mall is a landscaped park near the downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institution, art galleries, cultural institutions, and va ...

at 14th Street and

Constitution Avenue Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and its western section was greatly lengthened and widened bet ...

NW in Washington, D.C.

History

The museum opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. It was one of the last structures designed by the renowned architectural firm McKim Mead & White. In 1980, the museum was renamed the National Museum of American History to represent its mission of the collection, care, study, and interpretation of objects that reflect the experience of the American people. The museum site had previously held two temporary war buildings constructed in 1942. In May 2012, John Gray became the new director. He retired from the post in May 2018 and was succeeded by Anthea M. Hartig who was previously chief executive of the California Historical Society.

Renovations

The museum underwent an $85 million renovation from September 5, 2006 to November 21, 2008, during which time it was closed.

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings in Chicago, Illinois. In 1939, they were joined by engineer John Merrill. The fir ...

provided the architecture and interior design services for the renovation, led by Gary Haney. Major changes made during the renovation include: * A new, five-story sky-lit atrium, which is surrounded by displays of artifacts that showcase the breadth of the museum's collection. * A new, grand staircase that links the museum's first and second floors. * A new welcome center, and the addition of six landmark objects to orient visitors. * New galleries, such as the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention. * An environmentally controlled chamber to protect the original

flag. In 2012, the museum began a $37 million renovation of the west wing to add new exhibition spaces, public plazas and an education center. The renovation will also include panoramic windows overlooking the National Mall on all three floors and new interactive features to the exhibits. The first floor of the west wing reopened on July 1, 2015 with the second and third floors of the west wing reopening in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Layout

Each wing of the museum's three exhibition floors is anchored by a landmark object to highlight the theme of that wing. These include the ''John Bull'' locomotive, the Greensboro, North Carolina lunch counter, and a one of a kind draft wheel. Landmarks from pre-existing exhibits include the 1865 Vassar Telescope, a George Washington Statue, a

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

ambulance, and a car from

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

's Dumbo Flying Elephant ride. Artifact walls, of glass-fronted cases, line the first and second floor center core. The artifact walls are organized around themes including arts; popular culture; business, work and economy; home and family; community; land and natural resources; peopling America; politics and reform; science; medicine; technology; and the United States' role in the world.

Building

Lower level

The lower level of the museum displays ''Taking America to Lunch'', which celebrates the history of American lunch boxes. The museum's

food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. ...

, the Stars and Stripes Café, and ride simulators are also located here.

First floor

The first floor's East Wing (called 1 East) has exhibits that feature transportation and technology; they include ''America on the Move'' and ''Lighting a Revolution.'' The ''John Bull'' locomotive is the signature artifact. Exhibits within ''America on the Move'' include Southern Railway locomotive no. 1401,

Santa Cruz Railroad no. 3 The Santa Cruz Railroad 3 is a narrow gauge steam locomotive in Washington D.C. It is one of three preserved Baldwin Class 8/18 C locomotives in the United States, the other two being the North Pacific Coast Railroad No. 12, the "Sonoma" d ...

, and a

Chicago "L" The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated") is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), it is the fourth-largest rapid tr ...

elevated station diorama featuring a CTA 6000-series railcar. The exhibits in the West Wing (1 West) address science and innovation. They include ''Science in American Life featuring Robots on the Road'' and ''Bon Appétit!

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...

's Kitchen.'' ''Spark!Lab'' is a hands-on exhibit of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. The Vassar Telescope is the signature artifact. A café and the main museum store are also located on the first floor. The first floor also contains the Constitution Avenue lobby (1 Center), as well as a space for a temporary exhibit.

Second floor

The exhibitions in 2 East, the east wing of the second floor, consider American ideals and include the Albert Small Documents Gallery featuring rotating exhibits. From November 21, 2008, through January 4, 2009, an original copy of the

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the ...

, on loan from the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

, was on display. The Greensboro lunch counter is the signature artifact for this section of the museum. Located in the center of the second floor (2 Center) is the original Star Spangled Banner Flag which inspired

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meaning ...

. The newly conserved flag, the centerpiece of the renovated museum, is displayed in a climate-controlled room at the heart of the museum. An interactive display by Potion Design, just across the room from the flag, features a full-size, digital reproduction of the flag that allows patrons to learn more about it by touching different areas on the flag. The ''

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

'' statue, sculpted by

Horatio Greenough Horatio Greenough (September 6, 1805 – December 18, 1852) was an American sculptor best known for his United States government commissions '' The Rescue'' (1837–50), ''George Washington'' (1840), and ''The Discovery of America'' (1840–4 ...

for exhibit in the

Rotunda of the United States Capitol The United States Capitol rotunda is the tall central rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart". Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda is located below the ...

and in celebration of the centennial of Washington's birth, is the signature artifact for 2 West, the west wing of the second floor of the museum. An entire eighteenth century colonial house (circa 1710/1760) from

Ipswich, Massachusetts Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A resid ...

is located on the second floor (in 2 West) as part of the "Within These Walls" exhibit. The second floor also houses the museum's new welcome center and a store. The second-floor lobby leads out to Madison Drive and the

Third floor

Exhibits in the east wing of the third floor, 3 East, are focused on the military history of the United States; they include ''The Price of Freedom: Americans at War'' and the gunboat ''

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

''. The center of the third floor, 3 Center, presents ''The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden'', which explores the personal and public lives of the men who have held that office. It also features the popular permanent exhibit of ''

First Ladies First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the ...

of America'', which features their contributions and changing roles, and displays their dresses as a mark of changing times. The third-floor west wing, 3 West, has exhibits that feature entertainment, sports, and music. These include ''Thanks for the Memories: Music, Sports and Entertainment History'', the Hall of Musical Instruments, and ''The Dolls' House''. A car from

's Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride is the signature artifact.

Outdoor sculptures

In 1967, the abstract

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

Infinity Infinity is that which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is often denoted by the infinity symbol . Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the philosophical nature of infinity was the subject of many discussions am ...

'' was dedicated at the

entrance. Designed by

José de Rivera José Ruiz de Rivera (September 18, 1904 March 12, 1985) was an American abstract sculptor. Life and career José Ruiz de Rivera was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and grew up in New Orleans. He dropped out of high school, but finished at a board ...

and created by

Roy Gussow Roy Gussow (November 12, 1918 – February 11, 2011) was an American abstract sculptor known for his public pieces often crafted from polished stainless steel. Examples of his work can be founded outside the Xerox building in Rochester, NY, Cit ...

, it was one of the first abstract sculptures displayed at a major

public building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and f ...

in Washington D.C. The sculpture is a , polished

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's r ...

ribbon on top of a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...

tower.

Alexander Calder Alexander Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, his static "stabiles", and hi ...

's sculpture ''

Gwenfritz ''Gwenfritz'' is a painted steel abstract stabile, by Alexander Calder. It is located at the National Museum of American History, at 14th Street, and Constitution Avenue, in Washington, D.C. It was dedicated on June 2, 1969. In 1983, it was relo ...

'' was installed in a fountain on the west side. The steel abstract stabile was dedicated to the museum on June 2, 1969. In 1984, the museum moved the work to a site closer to Constitution Avenue until July 2013, when conservators removed it for restoration. The sculpture returned to its original site in November 2014, and sits in the midst of a re-created reflecting pool. Calder's original plan for the sculpture envisioned it surrounded by water jets, but architects and engineers of the site determined that the fountain would be challenging to maintain and the water spray would hasten deterioration of the metal.

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation

The Lemelson Center, an initiative of the

Lemelson Foundation The Lemelson Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) private foundation. It was started in 1993 by Jerome H. Lemelson and his wife Dorothy. Origins Jerome H. Lemelson based the foundation on his personal beliefs about the role of invention and invent ...

, produces educational programs, popular and academic publications, exhibitions, podcasts and symposia about invention. The mission of the Lemelson Center is to document, interpret and disseminate information about invention and innovation, encourage creativity in young people, and foster an appreciation for the central role of innovation in the history of the

. The Center frequently provides a multi-year focus on some aspect of how invention has influenced American society, such as its 2002 "'Invention and the Environment" theme. Programs include an annual symposium, presentations and guest speakers, and often the publication of a book highlighting a particular topic. The Center provides free curricular material to classrooms throughout the

, organizes traveling museum exhibitions (such as ''Invention at Play''), and provides research opportunities. It obtains archival collections related to invention for the museum's Archives Center. Such collections consist of the papers and materials that document the work of past and current American inventors.

Directors

The following individuals have served as the director of the NMAH. The museum was initially created on July 1, 1957, as the Museum of History and Technology within the United States National Museum; it became the National Museum of History and Technology in 1969 and the National Museum of American History in 1980.National Museum of American History (U.S.). Office of the Director.
, Social Networks and Archival Context, University of Virginia. *Frank A. Taylor (April 16, 1958 – 1964) * John Canfield Ewers (1964–1965) *

Robert P. Multhauf Robert P. Multhauf (1919–2004) was an American science historian, curator, director, scientific scholar and author. He served as president of the History of Science Society in the year 1979-80, and was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci Medal in 1987. ...

(1966–1968) *

Daniel J. Boorstin Daniel Joseph Boorstin (October 1, 1914 – February 28, 2004) was an American historian at the University of Chicago who wrote on many topics in American and world history. He was appointed the twelfth Librarian of the United States Congress in ...

(1968–1973) *Brooke Hindle (1974–1978) * Claudia Brush Kidwell (1979) - ''acting director'' *

Roger G. Kennedy Roger George Kennedy (August 3, 1926 – September 30, 2011) was an American polymath whose career included banking, television production, historical writing, and museum administration, the last as director of the Smithsonian Institution's Nati ...

(1979–1992) *

Spencer R. Crew Spencer may refer to: People *Spencer (surname) **Spencer family, British aristocratic family **List of people with surname Spencer *Spencer (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia *Spencer, New So ...

(1992–1994) – ''acting director'' *Spencer R. Crew (1994–2001) * Marc J. Pachter (2001–2002) – ''acting director'' *

Brent D. Glass Brent D. Glass is a public historian who pioneered influential oral history and material culture studies and was Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History from 2002-2011. He is an author and internationa ...

(October 2002 – August 2014)Cohen, Patricia
National Museum of American History Gets a New Director
, ''The New York Times'' (May 8, 2012). * Marc J. Pachter (August 2014 – July 2015) – ''acting director'' * John Gray (July 2015 – May 2018) *

Anthea M. Hartig Anthea M. Hartig (born 1964) is an American historian and museum administrator who is the director of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian trustees appointed Hartig as director beginn ...

(December 2018 – present)

Past exhibits

*''Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty'', 27 January – 14 October 2012, Smithsonian Institution, a landmark exhibit, the first ever on the Mall to explore a president's relation to slavery; it focused on six major slave families at

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

. *'' 24 Hours in Cyberspace'' – opened on January 23, 1997, this exhibit celebrated "the largest one-day online event" (February 8, 1996) up to that date, which took place on the then-active website, ''cyber24.com'' (it is online at a mirror website maintained by

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

). ''24 Hours in Cyberspace'' was headed by photographer

Rick Smolan Rick Smolan (born November 5, 1949) is a former ''Time'', ''Life'', and ''National Geographic'' photographer best known as the co-creator of the ''Day in the Life'' book series. He is currently CEO of Against All Odds Productions, a cross-medi ...

. The exhibit featured 70 photos from the project. *''Treasures of American History'', temporary display at the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

, closed in April 2008. *''A Nation of Nations'' was the Smithsonian's

Bicentennial __NOTOC__ A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to: Europe *French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...

salute to the American immigrant experience; it included many iconic rooms and examples of immigrants' contribution to the United States.

References

External links

National Museum of American HistoryNational Museum of American History Archives CenterSmithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
{{authority control History museums in Washington, D.C. Mass media museums in the United States Members of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington National Mall

American History The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...

Association of Science-Technology Centers member institutions